Hearing problems are not easy to detect in children, especially in new born babies and toddlers. However, there are a few hearing tests that you can perform to check if your newborn is suffering from any hearing problems or not. You may visit a pediatric audiologist who will evaluate the condition of your newborn to identify if he or she is suffering from any hearing abnormality.
Two of the most common hearing tests for newborn babies are Otoacoustic Emissions or OAE and Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry or BERA. While the approach and measurements of both these tests differ, they have a similar purpose of evaluating hearing abnormality. The OAE test helps to check the cochlear sounds while the BERA test helps to measure the auditory nerve’s electrical response. Let’s learn a little more about each of these tests and how they can help detect hearing abnormalities in newborns.
OAE test
The OAE test measures the sounds that your cochlea produces when there is stimulation of sound. It is a non-invasive method and finds its use most commonly for the diagnostic hearing tests of infants and hearing screening of the neonatal. You may visit an ENT specialist near me if you have a doubt that your younger one is suffering from hearing issues. The test will take between 2 minutes to 4 minutes for each of the ears.
Working of OAE test
An otoacoustic emission analyzer is used to perform the OAE test which usually comes with soft tip earphones and a microphone. The ear specialist will clean the ear canal and introduce soft sound through the ear cups followed by recording the cochlea-produced sounds by the microphone. The analyzer will amplify and analyze the sound emissions and detect the response of the OAE to display the same for the ear doctor in Chandigarh to identify any issues.
What does OAE measure?
The otoacoustic emission test measures the ability of your cochlea to produce sound, its hearing sensitivity and if the child has any kind of hearing loss. The test gives objective results and is quick to perform by the ENT doctor to diagnose the condition. Also, the test is painless and easy to do which ensures your newborn will not suffer from any discomfort.
BERA test
Brainstem evoked response audiometry test involves a neurophysiological evaluation tool to determine the electrical response of the auditory nerve as well as the brainstem when a sound originates from its source. The best hospital in Mohali uses this test for diagnosing hearing loss in children. The test requires somewhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete the evaluation of the newborn.
Working of BERA test
The brainstem evoked response audiometry test involves the use of earphones, audiometer, and the electrodes. The doctor will position the electrodes on the ears and the scalp followed by introduction of clicks through the earphones. The brainwave responses will be recorded by the electrodes followed by analysis of the responses by the BERA device. Ultimately, a waveform will be generated by the device that will display the response of the brainstem.
The components of the BERA test may range between waves I to IV and the overall interpretations will be done according to the amplitude and the latency. The pediatric audiologist will complete the test to determine the latency expectations and the waveform which will reveal if the results are normal or abnormal.
What does BERA measure?
The brainstem evoked response audiometry measures the hearing threshold and the function of the auditory nerve. It also measures neural conduction velocities as well as the function of the brainstem.
Advantages
The test is painless as it is non-invasive and accurately assesses the neural function and the hearing threshold. The test is suitable for young children and newborn babies apart from patients who don’t cooperate.
Key differences
While the ENT specialist near me will perform the OAE test to measure the cochlear sound upon auditory stimulation, the BERA test will measure the electrical response of the auditory nerve. The OAE test assesses the function of the cochlea whereas the BERA test will assess neural conduction velocity of the auditory nerve activity.
Choosing the right test
The age of the baby, cooperation level and the suspected condition are a few factors that will help the ear doctor in Chandigarh determine the right test for your baby. If it is a newborn hearing screening, OAE is an apt test to perform whereas for babies with limited cooperation, BERA test can be done to detect if there is brain stem dysfunction.
Sohana Hospital has the best team of doctors and ENT specialists who can not only diagnose your baby’s ear abnormality precisely but will also plan the right treatment with Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aid devices. We have modern technology to ensure the condition is diagnosed with precision and minimal discomfort to the patient.