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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Trans-Tympanic Drug Delivery for the Treatment of Ototoxicity
Published on: March 16, 2018
[Hearing assessment of children treated with Cisplatin]
Jolanta Mniszek1, Ireneusz Bielecki, Grazyna Sobol
1Silesian Medical University, Upper Silesian Center for Child's Health in Katowice, Department of Laryngology, Poland. lardziec@slam.katowice.pl
Insights
Cisplatin treatment can cause hearing loss in children, detectable by both tonal and oto-acoustic emission audiometry. The study found comparable sensitivity between these methods for monitoring hearing damage.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Ototoxicology
- Audiology
Context:
- Cisplatin is a common chemotherapy agent used in pediatric cancer treatment.
- Ototoxicity, including hearing loss, is a known side effect of cisplatin therapy.
- Early detection of hearing impairment is crucial for intervention and management in children.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the ototoxic effects of cisplatin on hearing in children.
- To compare the diagnostic efficacy of tonal audiometry and oto-acoustic emission audiometry (DPOAE) in detecting cisplatin-induced hearing loss.
- To investigate the relationship between cisplatin dosage and the degree of hearing impairment.
Summary:
- Audiological assessments were performed on 33 children with normal hearing prior to cisplatin treatment.
- Hearing was evaluated using tonal audiometry and distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAE).
- Hearing loss was detected in 12 children, primarily in higher frequencies, with no clear correlation to cumulative cisplatin dose.
Impact:
- Tonal audiometry identified hearing damage in 12 out of 33 children, with shifts mainly above 2000 Hz.
- Distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAE) and tonal audiometry showed comparable sensitivity in detecting hearing loss.
- This study highlights the importance of regular audiological monitoring in children undergoing cisplatin therapy.
The Aim Of The Study:
Cisplatin's effect on the inner ear in children and compare results of the tonal audiometry and the oto-acousitic emission audiometry.
Material And Methods:
Audiological examinations were conducted on 33 children who had been treated with Cisplatin. Normal hearing prior to the cytostatic therapy would qualify a child for inclusion in the examinations. Cisplatin was administered via intravenous infusion in dosages of 15 mg/m2 to 20 mg/m2 on five successive days of each month or 50-75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The patients were divided into groups according to ratio of the cumulative dosage per 1 m2 of the body area. Hearing was assessed with tonal and impendence audiometry as well as oto-acousitic emission audiometry--DPOAE.
Results:
The tonal audiometry helped detect hearing damage in 12 out of the 33 children participating in the examination, with unilateral loss found in 2 and bilateral loss encountered in 10 children. Hearing threshold shifts ranged between 10 and 40 dB in frequencies above 2000 Hz. The largest hearing threshold shift was registered for the region of 6000-8000 Hz. Tonal audiometry and oto-acoustic emission audiometry result consistency was encountered in 11 children from the study group.
Conclusions:
No effect of the cytostatic dose level on the degree of hearing loss could be demonstrated in the examined group of children. The sensitivity of the oto-acoustic emission and of the tonal audiometry to detect and monitor hypacusis were found to be comparable.
