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Early detection of hearing loss in children with cleft palates by brain-stem auditory response
J Hélias1, J C Chobaut, M Mourot
1Department of Audiophonology, Faculté de Médecine, Besançon, France.
Insights
Children with cleft palate often have early-onset hearing loss, with 19 of 23 studied showing significant conduction deafness. This hearing impairment is directly linked to the cleft palate malformation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Craniofacial Anomalies
- Congenital Malformations
Background:
- Cleft palate is a common congenital condition.
- Hearing impairment is a frequent comorbidity in children with cleft palate.
- Early detection of hearing issues is crucial for speech and language development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate early hearing function in infants with cleft palate.
- To determine the prevalence and degree of hearing loss before surgical intervention.
- To explore the relationship between cleft palate and hearing defects.
Main Methods:
- Auditory brain-stem response (ABR) testing was employed.
- 23 children with cleft palate were tested before 12 months of age and prior to pharyngoplasty.
- Results were compared to a control group of normal hearing infants.
Main Results:
- Nineteen out of 23 children (82.6%) exhibited significant conduction deafness (50-60 dB).
- No hearing loss was detected in the control group of normal infants.
- Hearing deficits were observed at a very early age.
Conclusions:
- Hearing defects are prevalent in infants with cleft palate.
- The hearing loss appears to be directly associated with the cleft palate malformation.
- Further research into the etiopathogeny of these hearing losses is warranted.
Abstract:
The hearing of 23 children with cleft palates was studied at an early age (before 12 months) and before pharyngoplasty using the electrophysiologic method of auditory brain-stem response. Nineteen children showed important degrees of conduction deafness of 50 or 60 dB. Results were compared with those obtained for a group of normal children tested under the same method before age 6 months. No hearing loss was observed in this group. It is concluded that hearing defects appear at an early age in children with cleft palates and are in direct relationship to the malformation. Hypotheses concerning the etiopathogeny of these hearing losses are proposed.