Risk factors for auditory neuropathy/auditory synaptopathy |
| |
Authors: | Beutner Dirk Foerst Astrid Lang-Roth Ruth von Wedel Hasso Walger Martin |
| |
Institution: | Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. dirk.beutner@uni-koeln.de |
| |
Abstract: | AIMS: It was the aim of this study to describe risk factors in auditory neuropathy/auditory synaptopathy (AN/AS). METHODS: Between 1997 and 2005, we diagnosed 37 children with AN/AS. They underwent a critical chart review for risk factors and etiological coincidences in this idiosyncratic disorder. RESULTS: Eighteen neonates had a history of prematurity and low birth weight. Hyperbilirubinaemia was present in 13 children. Three patients had evidence of infection during pregnancy, and AN/AS was associated with complex syndromal diseases in 2 cases. A congenital, familial pattern was seen in 2 siblings. Seven patients had idiopathic AN/AS. CONCLUSION: Rather than being a single etiological entity, AN/AS comprises a spectrum of risk factors and associated problems affecting the cochlea and the auditory pathway. This study shows that the majority of AN/AS in children is the result of perinatal problems and is not genetic in origin. Hyperbilirubinaemia is a common and etiologically significant finding in infants suffering from AN/AS. Thus, early hearing screening for AN/AS including transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response assessment among neonates with risk factors for AN/AS is crucial in order to better manage patients suffering from this disorder. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|