Objective To obtain the pass rate of hearing screening, the incidence and cause of hearing loss in the newborns. Methods 11894 cases were screened by a two-stage program of transient evoked oto-acoustic emissions test(TEOAE). The failed were re-examined with DPOAE,1000Hz probe tone tympanometry, auditory brainstem response(ABR) 3 months later. The results were analyzed. Results The primary screening pass rate was 82.64%, while the secondary pass rate was 78.71%. The pass rates were 84.63% and 78.00% in the obstetric ward and NICU ward,respectively (ANOVA, P<0.05). 68 cases (including 106 ears) were diagnosed as hearing loss with the incidence rate at 0.57%. Among them, there were 31 conductive hearing loss, 16 sensorineural hearing loss, and 21 mixed hearing loss. In the groups with the tests failed bilaterally or unilaterally , the corresponding prevalence rate was 12.92% (38/294) or 5.00% (30/600). The proportions of moderate and severe hearing were 3.33% (1/30) and 18.42% (14/76) (ANOVA, P<0.05). The possible causes of hearing loss consisted of jaundice (24.56%, 14/57), infection (24.56%, 14/57), asphyxia (19.30%, 11/57), low birth weight (17.54%, 10/57), and other factors (14.04%, 8/57). Conclusion Hearing screening is a basic project for early detection of neonatal hearing loss. Binaurally failed cases are more likely to develop into hearing loss than the unilateral, and the degree of hearing loss might also be more severe. Jaundice, infection, asphyxia, and low birth weight are major causes for neonatal hearing loss.
