The Effects of Mode of Delivery on Neonatal Screening Evaluated by Automated Auditory Brainstem Response

Background/Purpose: Neonatal hearing screening results are affected by several perinatal and neonatal factors. It is known that false positivity (FP) in the failure of newborn hearing screening increases parental concern and anxiety and has a negative impact on healthcare costs. There are conflicting reports on the effect of the mode of delivery on hearing screening results. This study aimed to investigate the role of mode of delivery on neonatal hearing by comparing the automated auditory brainstem (ABR) results of newborns born with vaginal delivery (VD) or cesarean section (CS) and to identify perinatal and neonatal factors associated with failure of the first neonatal hearing screening test results. Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted at our obstetrics clinic between December 2018 and June 2019. Following the exclusion of newborns with incomplete data, with congenital and chromosomal anomalies, with CMV infection, with anatomical deformities involving the face and the ears, and who received their hearing screening