PURPOSE: to study the occurrence and magnitude of the transient otoacoustic emissions suppression in pre-term infants with high risk for hearing loss. METHODS: the study was carried out in 15 pre-term infants. The used equipment was ILO USB II V6 Clinical OAE Software from Ododynamics. The used stimulation was linear clicks displayed at the intensity of 60 dB pe SPL (± 5). The contralateral noise (white noise) was set at 60 dB SPL (± 5). RESULTS: From 15 infants, only one did not show bilateral suppression. Suppression effect was shown on 93.3% of the subjects, being 71.4% for both ears and 28.6% for only one ear. The results showed that there was a significant statistical difference between the right and left ears. We could not observe significant differences when actual and gestational age were analyzed. The baby boys showed higher responses when compared to baby girls. CONCLUSIONS: most of the studied population showed OAE suppression effect. White noise was found in the contralateral ear, and reduced the response level of the transient otoacoustic emissions, demonstrating the participation of the efferent system. The responses were different considering the side of the ear, being higher on the right ear and for boys.
Infants; Hearing Tests; Auditory Pathways; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous
