Neonatal screening with auditory brainstem responses: results of follow-up audiometry and risk factor evaluation.

To determine the incidence and outcome of neurosensory hearing loss in infants, without selection bias, volunteers screened all infants from intensive care and well-baby nurseries of a tertiary care center for risk factors over 1 year; infants with sufficient risk factors were screened for auditory brainstem evoked response. Infants with abnormal findings received audiometric follow-up. Results of a 1-year follow-up study are reported. Risk factor evaluation revealed a 17% incidence of neurosensory hearing loss in a subgroup of infants with multiple risks such as birth weight less than 1500 gm, with perinatal asphyxia, subsequent hypoxemia, and hospital stay greater than 2 months. All infants with permanent hearing loss were assigned to this category. Our results suggest that this population is at greatest risk for early hearing impairment.