Auditory Neuropathy In Deaf School Students

Objective: To investigate incidence and clinical features of auditoryneuropathy in Nanjing deaf school students.Methods: 358 deaf students in the school accepted the first examinationprogram including otoscopic examination, tympanometry and transientlyevoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) screening. Detailed audiologicaland vestibular evaluations including pure-tone audiometry, immittanceaudiometry and acoustic reflex measures, transiently evoked otoacousticemissions (TEOAE), distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE),auditory brain stem response (ABR), electronystamography (ENG) andvestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) were given to whom hadpositive TEOAE screening.Results: In the 358 students, 323 of them entered the program ofscreening for auditory neuropathy. One student had positive TEOAE insingle ear while the other two had positive TEOAE in both ears, in thescreening stage. Those three students (six ears) had strong evidences ofauditory neuropathy in the detailed audiological procedures. Therefore,the incidence of auditory neuropathy in Nanjing deaf school students wasat least 0.93%(3/323).Conclusion: Auditory neuropathy, which can also be found in deafschools is not as rare as we thought before. Early identification and intervention may help those children to avoid entering the deaf schooland to return to normal society.