Central auditory processing in a patient with bilateral temporal lobe tumors: case report

The purpose of this article is to report the audiologic and central auditory processing abilities of a 34-year-old male with a right temporal lobe tumor and a history of bilateral tumors of the temporal lobes. The patient was evaluated presurgical re-exploration and again at 2.5 months and 4 months postoperatively. Test results demonstrated little change in peripheral hearing abilities; however, marked fluctuations were recorded on several tests administered postoperatively. Overall, this patient demonstrated a wide range of performance on tests of central auditory function, notably scores that decreased postoperatively and returned to better than baseline on the SCAN-A and repeated abnormal scores on the Pitch Pattern Sequence Test and the Symbol Digit Modality Test. Auditory Fusion Test-Revised results were initially normal, were markedly abnormal immediately postoperative, and returned to normal during the second postoperative visit. Our purpose in conducting this case study was to demonstrate, with central auditory processing test findings as well as magnetic resonance images, functional disorders of communication in a pre- and postoperative patient with a temporal lobe tumor.