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Use of hearing aids in the management of children with cleft palate
A A Maheshwar1, M A P Milling, M Kumar
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport NP20 2UB, UK. maheshwar_arcot@hotmail.com
Insights
Hearing aids (HA) offer a successful non-surgical approach for managing otitis media with effusion in children with cleft palate, showing good developmental outcomes and fewer complications than ventilation tubes (VT).
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Cleft Palate Management
- Audiology
Background:
- Otitis media with effusion (OME) is prevalent in children with cleft palate.
- Traditional management often involves ventilation tubes (VT), which can lead to complications.
- This study explores hearing aids (HA) as a primary intervention for OME in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of hearing aids (HA) as a first-line treatment for otitis media with effusion in children with cleft palate.
- To compare complication rates between HA and ventilation tube (VT) interventions.
- To assess hearing, speech, and language development in children managed with HA.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 70 children with repaired cleft palate managed in a multidisciplinary clinic.
- Analysis of otological management records, including VT insertion and HA provision.
- Assessment of HA compliance and audiological/developmental outcomes.
Main Results:
- 17.1% received VT, 24.3% received HA, 20% received both, and 38.6% received neither.
- 44.3% of children were provided with HA, with 51.6% demonstrating good compliance.
- Children using HA showed good hearing, speech, and language development, with significantly fewer complications than those treated with VT.
Conclusions:
- Non-surgical intervention with HA successfully treated 62.9% of patients.
- Hearing aid management in children with cleft palate is associated with a low incidence of long-term complications.
- HA represent a viable and effective alternative to VT for OME in children with cleft palate.
Objective:
The incidence of otitis media with effusion in children with cleft palate is high. There are numerous reports looking at early insertion of ventilation tubes (VT) with associated complications. We believe that this is the first paper that discusses the use of hearing aids (HA) as the first line of management.
Methods:
Children with cleft palate are managed in a special multidisciplinary clinic in our hospital. Detailed records of these children are maintained. We studied the otological management of 70 children with repaired cleft palate.
Results:
12 of the 70 (17.1%) had VT inserted, 17 (24.3%) were provided with HA, 14 (20%) had both grommets and HA and 27 (38.6%) had neither. Of the 31 (44.3%) children who had HA, 16 (51.6%) had good compliance with the HA. The hearing, speech and language developments in these children have been good. Twelve of the 70 patients (17.1%) have had one or more otological complications. These were significantly higher in children treated with VT.
Conclusion:
We have successfully treated 62.9% of our patients with non-surgical intervention, and show a low incidence of long term complications.