Otoacoustic emissions: major trends in pediatric practice

The high prevalence of hearing loss in children determines the need for reliable methods for the timely detection and diagnosis of hearing impairment at any age, starting from a birth. Otoacoustic emissions are widely used in hearing screening and audiological assessment as an objective tool for cochlear status evaluation. Over the past 30 years, their use in routine audiological assessments has increased significantly. Understanding the subtle processes that occur in the cochlea during the transmission of acoustic stimuli which generate otoacoustic emissions as well as knowledge about the registration parameters, otoacoustic emissions characteristics, otoacoustic emissions advantages and constraints are important for results analysis. Contemporary understanding of the occurrence of auditory sensations as well as the description of various types of otoacoustic emissions used in routine clinical practice (transient otoacoustic emissions and distorting product otoacoustic emissions) are presented in the review. The features of otoacoustic emissions using in pediatric practice are described: in newborns hearing screening, including the peculiarities of applying of this test for infants having had got their treatment in the intensive care units. Otoacoustic emissions significance for hearing diagnosis and as well as for ototoxicity monitoring is shown. Reliability, non-invasiveness, objectivity, simplicity of the otoacoustic emissions testing has done it one of the main methods both in hearing screening and diagnostics for children on any age.