Maiara Santos Gonçalves

Sentimentos manifestados por mães frente à triagem auditiva neonatal

PURPOSES: to identify feelings expressed by the mothers during their childrens Neonatal Auditory Screening (NAS), to check the sufficiency of the provided information; to find out their opinions on the possibility of having a hearing impaired child. METHODS: during three months 75 mothers that gave birth at the University Hospital were interviewed after signing the Permission Form when they arrived for the Optional Neonatal Auditory Screening. Information on the purposes and procedures of NAS were provided, showing the importance of the screening done between the age of 8 and 12 months. A questionnaire was applied by undergraduate Audiology students. The questionnaire was applied individually. RESULTS: 58 (77.3%) mothers affirm that NAS is an early way of identifying hearing impairment; 64 (85.3%) consider that the provided information is sufficient; 27 (36%) point out having positive feelings during their childrens screening, 23 (30.7%) point out negative feelings, while 25 (33.3%) point out having mixed feelings about the subject. As to the possibility of having a hearing impaired child, 57 (76%) mothers showed negative opinions. CONCLUSIONS: the majority of the interviewed mothers were able to answer correctly on what NAS was, as well as they considered the information given about the test to be sufficient; there was a predominance of positive feelings during the screening; the possibility of having a hearing impaired child was considered null by three-thirds of the studied mothers.

CONDIÇÃO AUDITIVA DE INDIVÍDUOS COM QUEIXA DE ZUMBIDO

Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a condicao auditiva de individuos com queixa de zumbidoem diferentes faixas etarias. Metodos: foram incluidos na amostra 146 individuos do sexo masculinoe do sexo feminino, cujas idades variaram de sete a 91 anos. A condicao auditiva foi determinada apartir dos limiares tonais obtidos na audiometria tonal liminar. Considerou-se audicao normal limiarestonais ate 25 dB. Resultados: Entre sete e 20 anos, 70% dos individuos apresentaram audicaonormal, porem a partir dos 21 anos prevaleceu a condicao auditiva alterada. Na populacao idosa85% dos individuos apresentaram comprometimento da audicao. Conclusao: A ocorrencia de perdaauditiva em sujeitos portadores de zumbido e progressivamente maior a medida que a idade avanca.

Triagem auditiva: concordância entre os métodos comportamental e objetivo

PURPOSE: to check the agreement among the obtained results in hearing screening through the observation of behavioral responses and the transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. METHOD: a double-blind study was carried out with 139 infants attended in Neonatal Hearing Screening service of Santa Maria University Hospital. Different examiners evaluated the presence of eye blink reflex and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS: among the 139 evaluated infants, 123 showed eye blink reflex and otoacoustic emissions; 10 showed only otoacoustic emissions; and 3 failed in both tests. Sixteen infants should be re-evaluated. Nine did not come back to repeat the tests. Seven children were re-evaluated, two passed in both tests; five maintained the failed status and they were referred to evaluation on Auditory Response Audiometry. Two children showed otoacoustic emissions, but did not have eye blink reflex. In the evaluation of Auditory Response Audiometry, one manifested normal hearing and the other showed acute hearing loss. One child who did not evidence otoacoustic emissions, but manifested eye blink reflex, had compatible Auditory Response Audiometry with moderate hearing loss in both ears. The infant who failed in both test showed severe bilateral hearing loss in the evaluation of Auditory Response Audiometry. CONCLUSION: even though the otoacoustic emissions are present, the absence of eye blink reflex should be considered a reason to evaluate the Auditory Response Audiometry, and this can be sign of auditory neuropathy. Considering that the analysis of otoacoustic emissions and the evaluation of eye blink reflex are complement procedures. The apparent disagreement among some results can show different types of hearing disorder.

Habituation of the blink reflex in the neonatal period and development of auditory processing

OBJECTIVE To check the existence of an association between the presence/absence of the blink reflex habituation in the neonatal period and auditory processing development. METHODS The occurrence of blink reflex habituation was studied in 33 neurologically normal neonates, aged between 9 and 25 months, who had their behavioral responses analyzed and classified according to Azevedo (1993). Habituation of the blink reflex was verified using 90-dB sound stimulus. The stage of auditory processing development was evaluated through 41-dB sound stimulus. Statistical data were analyzed with Fischer and χ2 tests. RESULTS Out of the 33 studied children, 22 presented blink reflex habituation in the first stage of the study. In 7 of them, the auditory processing stage matched their chronological age, while in 15 of them the auditory processing stage was not in accordance with their chronological age. Eleven children failed to present habituation of the blink reflex in the first stage of the study. From this group, eight children presented auditory responses that were appropriate to their chronological age, whereas three had inappropriate responses. A statistically significant association between the presence of blink reflex habituation and auditory processing delay was verified, in addition to an association between the absence of the blink reflex habituation and chronologically suitable responses. CONCLUSIONS The presence of blink reflex habituation in the neonatal period does not seem to be a predictive factor of suitable auditory processing.