Usefulness of a flow chart for targeted screening of congenital cytomegalovirus-related hearing loss

Abstract

Around 90% of congenital cytomegalovirus infected neonates are asymptomatic at birth. Among the infected infants showing no clinical abnormalities, 7 to 15% or over may develop sensorineural hearing loss and only about 50% of these cases are detectable at birth. In 2013, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Maggiore Hospital in Bologna (Italy) introduced a one-page flow chart aimed at identifying neonates with unapparent congenital cytomegalovirus infection by means of selective cytomegalovirus screening of patients who failed to pass a hearing screening test. Since its introduction, 83 infants have been referred to our clinic for sample collection and two cases of congenital cytomegalovirus-related sensorineural hearing loss were diagnosed and treated at the appropriate time.

Keywords: Cytomegalovirus; congenital infection; sensorineural hearing loss; targeted screening.