[Total unilateral deafness in children. Etiologies and long-term consequences]

A retrospective study of 72 children with a profound (average hearing loss > 90 dB) unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (PUSNHL) was carried out in the ENT department at the Rouen hospital in 1988 and 1994. This study intended to investigate the etiologies, how it was recognized, the age of the onset and the results of the medical evaluation of these PUSNHL. We found, in 2 cases, that vestibular lesions of the healthy ear were present before the onset of a hearing loss on this side, turning the PUSNHL into a bilateral deafness. We tried to correlate the etiologies, age of onset of the PUSNHL, status of the opposite ear and possible scholar problems in the group of the 42 children followed-up for more than 2 years (mean follow-up time = 7 years). Among children suffering from PUSNHL, we specified a group with higher risk of school failures, allowing ENT physicians to propose more accurate management to these children.