Spontaneous recovery of profound post-meningitic hearing loss.
The timing of insertion of a cochlear implant (CI) in post-meningitic sensorineural hearing loss is, in spite of recent advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of the condition, still controversial. The danger of labyrinthitis ossificans allows only a little time to decide whether to implant a CI or not. On the other hand the clinician needs to be certain that no residual hearing is present and whether or not the patient will benefit from conventional amplification. A well-documented case of early spontaneous recovery of a profound post-meningitic sensorineural hearing loss in a child is presented and the relevant literature reviewed.
Marx
R D
RD
Department of Otolaryngology, Conquest Hospital, The Ridge, St Leonards-on-Sea, UK.
Baer
S T
ST
D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008585:Meningitis, Meningococcal / Q000150:complications*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D012075:Remission, Spontaneous