title: Audiological assessment of infants and children with preauricular tags.
abstract: A previous study found sensorineural hearing loss in 13% of 178 children with solitary preauricular tags. The present results are quite different. Audiological assessment was performed on 42 children (median age of 2 months) with preauricular tags as the sole anatomical malformation. Tests included behavioral audiometry and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. Twenty-two subjects were also tested with auditory brainstem recording while under general anesthesia during surgical excision of the tag. None of the children had a sensorineural hearing loss, but 4 had a bilateral or unilateral conductive hearing loss due to secretory otitis media. It is concluded that solitary ear tags are not a high risk factor for sensorineural hearing loss if not associated with a family history of hearing loss.
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001299:Audiometry; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003051:Cochlea; D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male