Neonatal screening: risk factors and outcome in 4400 children

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of neonatal deafness and how effective screening could be in a cohort of infants under the national health service in Mestre Venice. The criteria used in the screening of a population at risk were those established by the JCIH (1990). All the children born between September 1992 and August 1995 (4408 infants) were examined in an attempt to identify risk factors. The children presenting one or more risk factors and those admitted to neonatal intensive care for any reason were submitted to ABR testing. The results were considered negative if the wave V was perceived at an intensity < or = 40 dB nHL. Of the 4408 children screened, a total of 5 were found with a degree of deafness in excess of 50 dB HL. Three children were found to be at risk while two had a silent history. In terms of etiology, 2 children showed genetic transmission, one there had a 21 trisomia while it proved impossible to determine the cause of deafness in the remaining two. As indicated in other studies, application of a risk register makes it possible to identify congenital deafness in 50-60% of the cases. For this reason the authors consider mass screening through the use of oto-acoustic emissions to be quite useful.