Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE): Response aptitude in term and preterm neonates

Abstract

Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) have been widely used in neonatal hearing screening programs. In the past years, a closer analysis of TEOAE has shown some unexplored characteristics of the peripheral auditory system. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate TEOAE response amplitude in term and preterm neonates, as a function of ear side, gender, frequency spectrum and post-conceptional age. Study design: Clinical prospective. Material and method: The sample consisted of 526 newborns, 440 born at term and 86 preterm neonates divided in two groups: one with post-conceptional age varying from 31 to 36 weeks and the second one with post-conceptional age varying from 37 to 44 weeks. The TEOAE test was performed in an environment with no acoustical treatment with the ILO 88 - Otodynamics Otoacoustic Emission Analyzer, in the Quickscreener mode. Results: The results showed statistically significant asymmetric mean amplitude response in favor of the right ear, the females, the high frequency bands and the newborns with higher post-conceptional age. These differences observed between the mean amplitudes of the TEOAE of term and preterm newborns suggest that the amplitude of the TEOAE, besides providing an evidence of the integrity of the peripheral auditory system, may be used as an indicator of the maturation of the peripheral auditory system in newborns.