OBJECTIVE: To objectively estimate the extent of hearing loss in infants with cleft palate and to measure the incidence of hearing loss. DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case note review. SETTING: Tertiary institutional regional referral center for cleft lip and palate. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive cases of 90 infants with cleft palate who underwent auditory brain stem response (ABR) threshold estimation. INTERVENTIONS: ABR threshold estimation during natural sleep in infants with cleft palate under 2 months of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hearing level thresholds as estimated by auditory brain stem response and categorized as normal (< 25 < or = 35 dB nHL) , mild (> 35 < or = 45 dB nHL), moderate (> 45 < or = 65 dB nHL), severe (> 65 < or = 90 dB nHL), and profound (> 90 dB nHL) hearing loss. RESULTS: Hearing loss was present in 82% of the infants tested. Most of the hearing loss was conductive (89%), mild (86%), and bilateral (84%). Average age of ABR threshold estimation was 48.5 days. In 22% of infants there was an associated syndrome. The mean air conduction thresholds for the right and left ear were 40 and 39.7, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of hearing loss in a cohort of cleft palate infants has been objectively estimated by auditory brain stem response thresholds and was found to be very high (82%).
OBJECTIVE: To objectively estimate the extent of hearing loss in infants with cleft palate and to measure the incidence of hearing loss. DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case note review. SETTING: Tertiary institutional regional referral center for cleft lip and palate. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive cases of 90 infants with cleft palate who underwent auditory brain stem response (ABR) threshold estimation. INTERVENTIONS: ABR threshold estimation during natural sleep in infants with cleft palate under 2 months of age. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hearing level thresholds as estimated by auditory brain stem response and categorized as normal (< 25 < or = 35 dB nHL) , mild (> 35 < or = 45 dB nHL), moderate (> 45 < or = 65 dB nHL), severe (> 65 < or = 90 dB nHL), and profound (> 90 dB nHL) hearing loss. RESULTS:Hearing loss was present in 82% of the infants tested. Most of the hearing loss was conductive (89%), mild (86%), and bilateral (84%). Average age of ABR threshold estimation was 48.5 days. In 22% of infants there was an associated syndrome. The mean air conduction thresholds for the right and left ear were 40 and 39.7, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of hearing loss in a cohort of cleft palateinfants has been objectively estimated by auditory brain stem response thresholds and was found to be very high (82%).