Newborn hearing screening is a type of screening test for the early detection of hearing loss. It can recognize with good accuracy newborns affected by hearing impairment allowing an early diagnosis and intervention and avoiding cognitive and linguistic deficits [1-6]. The incidence of bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in Sicily is 2.35 cases per 1000 newborns; this value increases to...

The present statement reviews the evidence for universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). A systematic review of the literature was conducted using Medline and using search dates from 1996 to the third week of August 2009. The following search terms were used: neonatal screening AND hearing loss AND hearing disorders. The key phrase "universal newborn hearing screening" was also searched. The ...

Congenital hearing loss is estimated to affect one in every 1,000 newborns. Causes of hearing loss can be conductive, sensorineural, mixed, or central. Known risk factors for congenital hearing loss include cytomegalovirus infection and premature birth necessitating a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, up to 42 percent of profoundly hearing-impaired children will be missed using...

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare receptive and expressive language skills in premature full-term babies under the newborn hearing screening follow-up program.

BACKGROUND Newborn hearing screening has to be considered the first step of a program for the identification, diagnosis, treatment and habilitation/rehabilitation of children with hearing impairment. MAIN PART In Tuscany Region of Italy, the universal newborn hearing screening is mandatory since november 2007. The first guidelines for the execution of the screening have been released in June ...

The primary justification for early identification of hearing impairment in infants relates to the impact of hearing impairment on speech and language acquisition, academic achievement, and social and emotional development [1-3]. The first three years of life are most important for speech and language acquisition. Animal studies have shown that early auditory deprivation interferes with the dev...

OBJECTIVE This review is an update for the US Preventive Services Task Force on universal newborn hearing screening to detect moderate-to-severe permanent, bilateral congenital hearing loss. We focus on 3 key questions: (1) Among infants identified by universal screening who would not be identified by targeted screening, does initiating treatment before 6 months of age improve language and comm...

Recently, a National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement recommended that all infants be screened for hearing prior leaving the birthing hospital using a two-stage screening process based on transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). Although the value of identifying hearing loss before 1 year of age is widely recognized, the feasibility of universal newborn hearing screening using T...