[The application of otoacoustic emissions in paediatric hearing screening].

We conducted auditory test of 132 high risk infants by using both otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) screening. The result showed that the passing rate was 88.3% (233/264 ears) for OAE and 92% (243/264 ears) for ABR. The sensitivity and specificity of OAE in comparison to ABR were 90.5% (19/21 ears) and 95% (230/243 ears) respectively. The mean test time was 3 min for OAE and 30 min for ABR. We therefore conclude that OAE is a highly sensitive, reliable and convenient method to be used for paediatric hearing screening.