Hearing assessment in high-risk congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors.
OBJECTIVE
To report results of audiometric evaluations in high-risk congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors and their exposure to audiological risk factors (mechanical ventilation, high frequency oscillation, aminoglycoside therapy and neuromuscular blocking agents).


METHODS
All newborns with high-risk congenital diaphragmatic hernia born between January 2003 and June 2009 were treated consecutively at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Hospital, University of Padova. Thirty-two survived and 26 of them underwent formal audiological evaluation (tonal and speech audiometry, otoacoustic emission, and immitance measurements) and follow up.


RESULTS
Twenty-one children had normal hearing; 4 had conductive hearing loss, which was successfully treated; and 1 had severe sensorineural hearing loss and suffers from Turner syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
Our series revealed a lower prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss in high-risk congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors than in other studies, suggesting that the association between hearing loss and congenital diaphragmatic hernia has yet to be accurately defined and fully elucidated.
Morando
Carla
C
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 3, 35128 Padova, Italy. carla.morando@unipd.it
Midrio
Paola
P
Gamba
Piergiorgio
P
Filippone
Marco
M
Sgrò
Alberto
A
Orzan
Eva
E
D000367:Age Factors; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006314:Hearing Loss, Conductive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors