The Initiation of Neonatal Deafness Screening by the Pediatric Team at the Neonatology Department of Marrakech University Hospital Experience and Challenges
Abstract:
Introduction: Deafness is the most common sensory deficit at birth (1/1000).In Morocco, epidemiological data are rare and unpublished and the neonatal screening program for congenital diseases will be reinforced by neonatal screening for congenital deafness, hence the interest of our pilot work in this area.
Objective: is to initiate screening for neonatal deafnessby pediatriciansusingTHEoto-induced acoustic emissions (OEAP). Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study spread over two months (February and March 2023), concerning newborns hospitalized in neonatal intensive care (RN) and those examined in the delivery suites (SC) of the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Marrakech. Screening is done by two OEAP tests. If the first test was negative, a second was carried out during the first control consultation or after invitation.
Results: 519 newborns were successfully screened (49.8% were girls and 51.2% were boys), 459 (88.43%) at the postpartum level and 60 (11.57%) at the of the RN. The average age at screening was 2.1 days. 56.6% of cases showed a positive response from the first test compared to a unilateral or bilateral negative response in 43.4% of cases. Of these 225 newborns, 87 (38.6%)[57 from SC and 30 from RN]responded to our invitation and they benefited from a second test within our service with an average delay of 18.5 days[7 days, 30 days]. Geographical and social constraints represented the major excuses for not returning to hearing testing. This second test made it possible to obtain a favorable bilateral response in 78.16% of cases. A unilateral or bilateral lack of response was noted in 21.84% of patients. The latter were sent to the ENT department for the realization of an auditory evoked potential and their results will be communicated to us later. Regarding hospitalized patients, they all have at least 2 risk factors for deafness. The use of ototoxic medications and hospitalization for more than 48 hours represent the most common risk factors (93% and 88%) in our series.
Conclusion: Our preliminary evaluation, revealing alongside its results several technical and organizational challenges, shows that early detection of neonatal deafness deserves to be continued in our establishment as well as on a national scale.
