The feasibility of evoked otoacoustic emissions as an in-patient hearing check after meningitis.

The desirability of finding children with hearing impairment after bacterial meningitis as soon as possible prompted us to examine the feasibility of using evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) as an in-patient check of hearing status in children recovering from bacterial meningitis. Sixty-six episodes of bacterial meningitis were studied. Traces could be recorded for only 54.7% of ears. All children subsequently found to have sensorineural hearing impairment who were tested with EOAE, failed the screening test. The low coverage of the screening test and the predicted low specificity due to the high incidence of conductive hearing impairments, lead us to conclude that, with the technology currently available, the measurement of EOAE after bacterial meningitis is not a practical method for a pre-discharge check of hearing. Every effort must still be made to ensure all children are referred for an appropriate auditory assessment.