The Ear, Throat and Nose Clinic at the Clinical center Banja Luka, in cooperation with the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic and Clinic of child diseases of Clinical Center Banja Luka, performs neonatal newborn hearing screening.

This program implies hearing testing of every newborn which is delivered in our institution in its second day of life, before being discharged. Apart from that, testing is also performed on all newborns which were directed to the special department of intensive care at the Clinic for child diseases in the Clinical center.
Testing is performed with the latest method of high specificity and sensitivity, while newborns are asleep. The procedure is founded as “HOSPITAL BASED” and is performed on all newborn, no matter which risk factors they have.
During each testing TEOAE test is performed, and with children who are diagnosed with risk factors, prematurity or are accommodated in the unit of intensive care are also treated with AABR.
In case of negative results obtained from first test and two retests, objective hearing testing during the 6 months of life is performed using general anesthesia ABR and ASSR.
We ar also trying to connect with other hospitals and maternity hospitals in the Republic of Srpska in order to establish referential center in Banja Luka.
In this region, adequate epidemic analysis does not exist, but according to information of WHO, on every 1000 healthy children, 1 to 3 children are born with some sort of damage at sensor neural level. When it comes to children with prematurity, hyper-bilirubinemia, or hospitalization in ICU, this ratio is 1:100.
Until now, approximately 15 000 newborns have been under our program and frequency of sensor neural hearing damage with ratio 2:1000 has been determined.

Early discovery of hearing damage provides duly treatment and adequate therapy.

Dr Sanja Špirić