Relation between Mode of Delivery and Findings of Oto-Acoustic Emission Test Results

Abstract

Introduction: Hearing loss, since birth, is an important public health issue round the globe with a prevalence ranging from 2-3/1000 live births. Neonates born by Caesarean Delivery (CD) refer for Oto-Acoustic Emissions (OAE) test more frequently compared to Vaginal Delivery (VD) soon after birth. During this study, the effects of the modes of delivery on the OAE test results were investigated. Aim: To study the effects of modes of delivery on the OAE test results. Materials and Methods: During this study 500 neonates, born beyond 37 weeks of gestation, at Dhiraj Hospital, Gujarat, India between January 2019-July 2019 without any associated risk factors were enrolled and divided on basis of their mode of delivery-vaginal or caesarean section. Before their discharge from hospital, OAE test was performed on the patients. Modes of delivery and OAE test results were collected and analysed. Results: Results reviled that there was a significant difference in OAE test failure rates between the two delivery mode groups. CD was significantly related to failed OAE. CD infants had a three-fold higher failure rate as compared to VD infants in OAE test (4.12% vs 1.3%). Conclusion: Neonates born by CD had significantly higher failure rates on first OAE as compared to VD. This shows that the mode of delivery contains a significant effect on the results of the hearing screening tests.