Audiological findings in children with neonatal herpes

Hearing sensitivity was assessed in 20 children who were diagnosed as having symptomatic neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. The subjects were seen as part of an interdisciplinary project that included audiological, medical, visual, and developmental assessments. Audiologic procedures consisted of behavioral and/or auditory brain stem tests and immittance audiometry. Eighteen children were found to have normal hearing and 2 were documented as having sensorineural hearing impairments. Similarities in the manner in which HSV and congenital cytomegalovirus affect the auditory mechanism are discussed.