Frequency of congenital hearing loss in 43,503 healthy newborn infants in Konya, Turkey

Objective: To determine the frequency of congenital hearing loss (CHL) in healthy newborn infants in Konya, Turkey. Methods: A total of 43,503 healthy neonates born at Doctor Faruk Sükan Obstetrics and Children s Hospital between the years of 2006 and 2011 were evaluated, prospectively. Hearing screening test was carried out using Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emission (TEOAE) method. Hearing test was also repeated three times in neonates with suspected hearing loss in first month of life. Infants with abnormal hearing test were referred to Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Selçuk University, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. Evoked auditory brainstem responses (E-ABR) were performed in these cases. Infants with abnormal E-ABR were referred to further centers for cochlear implantation. Results: Hearing test was found to be abnormal in 226 (5.19/1,000) infants based on the results of TEOAE, repeated three times. CHL was diagnosed in 216 (4.97/1,000) of 226 infants at the end of E-ABR. These 216 infants were referred for cochlear implantation. Conclusion: Our findings showed that TEOAE method is highly effective in neonatal hearing screening and frequency of CHL was 4.97/1,000 in our region.