Prenatal ultrasound exposure and association with postnatal hearing outcomes

Retrospective cohort analysis.Tertiary academic referral center.A retrospective review of 100 children undergoing newborn hearing screening was conducted. Extensive data collection was performed, and this data was analyzed for a potential correlation between failure of newborn hearing screening and increased prenatal ultrasound exposure, as well as for a potential correlation of other variables with hearing loss.Postnatal hearing outcomes.A higher number of both total and 3rd trimester ultrasound exams as well as a younger gestational age at birth were all found to be significantly associated with a higher likelihood of passing the newborn hearing screen (p<0.001 for each). No other factors were found to reach statistical significance.Our results show that there is no correlation between a higher level of prenatal ultrasound exposure and hearing loss. Indeed, infants who had more prenatal ultrasounds in the third trimester were more likely to pass their screening hearing exams. The finding that children receiving more prenatal ultrasounds have a higher likelihood of passing newborn hearing screens serves as an excellent reminder of the classic statistics rule that correlation does not imply causation.Ultrasonography (US) now has a wide range of clinical uses and has become virtually indispensable in many areas of medicine. The development of prenatal US represents one of the greater achievements in the field of obstetrics. However, despite the widespread prevalence of prenatal US, it is not entirely clear whether US waves are free of risk to the developing fetus. Because of the increasing use of this imaging modality, the public health implications of any potential adverse effects are enormous. These concerns are even more important in light of the fact that routine US screening of the fetus has not been shown to improve perinatal morbidity [1,2], despite an 80% detection rate of fetal anomalies at experienced centers [3].Only a small number of studies have investig