Patient's question:
The child was born only a few days ago, and recently, for some unknown reason, they have been scratching their ears frequently. What tests are conducted to check for congenital deafness and mute in infants?Doctor's answer:
Newborn hearing screening is conducted through instrumental examination, not just to check if the baby can hear! It is performed using instruments to detect the function of the baby's cochlea, rather than simply observing whether the baby can hear sounds. The test involves objective, rapid, and non-invasive electrophysiological examinations such as Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE), and acoustic impedance measurements, which are carried out while the newborn is naturally sleeping or in a quiet state after birth.