The algorithm for clinical and audiological observation of children born preterm

Premature babies are at high risk of developing hearing dysfunction, which can affect all levels of the auditory system and disrupt the development of auditory, language, communicative, emotional, and social skills, thus impairing the child’s overall quality of life. Hearing impairment in premature infants is presented in transient or intermittent forms of conductive hearing loss, mixed hearing loss, as well as sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorders (ANSD). Auditory function characteristics include unstable hearing thresholds, the possibility of improvement up to complete normalization, less commonly delayed hearing loss, and the transformation of ANSD into SNHL and vice versa. The article presents a possible algorithm for clinical and audiological monitoring of children born prematurely from birth to 10 years old. It involves a two-stage newborn hearing screening within the first 1—2 months after birth and verification of the diagnosis by the time infants reach 3 months corrected age. If hearing loss are detected, children are examined up to the age of 2 years 3—4 times a year; children with initially verified normal hearing are examined 2—3 times in the first year of life, and then annually. Separately, there is an algorithm for diagnostic and habilitation intervention for children with ANSD. Attention is also drawn to the need to involve otolaryngologists for timely identification of conductive hearing loss and special education teachers, speech therapists for early diagnosis of central auditory processing disorders. Long-term monitoring of all aspects of auditory function in premature babies will allow for timely and high-quality diagnostic and (re)habilitation processes, minimizing the negative impact of hearing impairments.