Targeted Cytomegalovirus Testing Linked to Newborn Hearing Screening Was Feasible but Had Low Diagnostic Yield.

AIMS: Congenital cytomegalovirus is the leading cause of non-genetic hearing loss in children. This study aimed to evaluate if hearing-targeted screening for congenital cytomegalovirus was implementable and whether it improved timely treatment of affected newborns.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included newborns who did not pass hearing screening in Region Zealand, Denmark. The study period was 1 June 2018 to 31 May 2024, covering 4 years before and 2 years after the implementation of hearing-targeted cytomegalovirus screening. We compared the proportion of infants tested, age at testing, and the use of saliva and urine samples.

RESULTS

During the 6 years, 615 infants did not pass the hearing screening. Before the implementation of hearing targeted screening, 21 of 349 referred infants (6%) were tested for cytomegalovirus. By the second year of implementation, testing increased to 113 (90%). Saliva and urine samples were collected from the same number of infants. Nine of 11 positive saliva samples were not confirmed infections. No children with cytomegalovirus-related hearing loss were diagnosed in time to initiate treatment.

CONCLUSION

In our setting, hearing targeted cytomegalovirus screening was gradually implemented, but had low diagnostic yield. Urine samples seemed preferable to saliva for targeted screening.