Comparison of two methods of TEOAE recording in newborn hearing screening

This paper summarizes the results of trials performed in two hospitals, comparing the scoring of transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) on the same neonates and within the same test session, recorded by the fully automatic device EchoScreen (Madsen Electronics/Fischer-Zoth GmbH) and ILO Otodynamics Ltd system. These trials form part of a larger project (Project Sentinel), whose primary aim is to stimulate the creation of new neonatal hearing screening programmes. Four thousand two hundred and forty-eight neonates were tested with both devices (8494 ears), in randomized order. The response scores obtained with the two devices are in full agreement in 98.72% of the tested ears. Considering the recording time, the fully automatic Echo Screen was, on average, about 3.6 times faster than the ILO88, bearing in mind, however, that when using ILO88, the end of the recording is decided by the operator on the basis of some mandatory decision rules.