[Loss of hearing in cerebral palsy (author's transl)]

The hearing threshold level was examined in 75 cerebral palsied children (3--15 yrs.). In the case of 5 patients, we were unable to get an audiogram. 50 children had a normal audiogram on both ears. 13 patients had a bilateral, one a unilateral sensoneural loss of hearing. The rate of conductive loss of hearing was unexpectedly high: 4 patients with a bilateral pure conductive loss of hearing, 3 with a bilateral sensoneural loss of hearing and a bilateral additional airborne gap, and 2 with a monaural conductive loss of hearing. The treatment of the conductive deficiency is of primary importance in cases of a super-imposed senso-neural loss of hearing losses. 7 of our patients have been fitted with a hearing aid. The threshold of the stapedius reflex could be estimated in the case of 10 patients suffering from a sensoneural loss of hearing. All had a reduced dynamic range. Reduction of the dynamic range is not a specific trait of cerebral palsy as our cerebral palsied children with normal hearing had a normal dynamic range. No correlation could be found between asphyxia, underweight and hyperbilirubinaemia as single factors in the newborn period and sensoneural loss of hearing nor between athetosis and sensoneural loss of hearing.