OTOACOUSTIC EMISSION VERSUS ABR SCREENING - THE EFFECT OF EXTERNAL AND MIDDLE-EAR ABNORMALITIES IN A GROUP OF SCBU NEONATES

Twenty neonates in a special care baby unit (SCBU) were tested using a utomated procedures for obtaining auditory brainstem responses (ABR) a nd transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE). All 40 ears passed the initial ABR screen, while the pass rate for the TEOAE screen was o nly 52.5%. Ears with no external or middle ear abnormalities (group A) had a significantly higher TEOAE pass rate (94.7%) than those with at least one abnormality (group B) as detected by otoscopic examination and tympanometry (14.3%). Other variables, such as age at test, gestat ional age at birth and birth weight, did not differ significantly betw een groups A and B. We conclude that external/middle ear abnormalities in this group of neonates had no effect on the ABR screening results, but had a significant effect on the TEOAE screening results.