Click-evoked oto-acoustic emission measurement in preterm infants

Click-evoked oto-acoustic emissions (CEOAE) are acoustic responses produced by the inner ear, reflecting functional auditory integrity. We studied bot h the success rate of the CEOAE method and the CEOAE presence in preterm in fants during their stay at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), by anal ysis of the results of longitudinal CEOAE measurements in 19 preterm infant s. The CEOAE method proved to be feasible in the majority of the population under study; the CEOAE measurement failed in 8% of the total of 226 attemp ts. Within the range of 30-40 weeks post-conceptional age (PCA) the CEOAE p resence increased from about 50% to 80%. These results show the possible cl inical application of CEOAE in a NICU for the monitoring of cochlear functi on during treatment of preterm infants. Conclusion Bedside CEOAE measurement in preterm infants in a NICU is feasib le at a PCA as low as 30 weeks.