title: [Subjective and objective hearing test results for children with orofacial clefts].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The hearing status of children with orofacial clefts was analysed using objective hearing tests over an average of 38.7 months following soft palate closure. We investigated the influence of: timing of closure, type of cleft, importance of grommets insertion and concomitant craniofacial syndromes such as Pierre Robin (PRS).
  
  
  METHODS
  70 children were selected for prospective audiometric testing twice yearly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age at surgical closure was 8.3 months. More than half had PRS, but their hearing levels were not significantly different from those who did not. Neither did cleft type or timing of closure seem to have any influence. The portion of children with a hearing level better than 30 dB increased after repair from 38.6% to 81.4%--significant at 0.001 and remained stable more than 24 months later. In the group of children with concomitant grommets insertion, it was also found that also more than 80% achieved longstanding normal hearing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no long lasting hearing loss which has any relevance to speech. The only intervention of any consequence is insertion of pressure equalising/tympanostomy tubes (grommets) in cases of primary palatal clefts when hearing is substantially impaired at the time of soft palate closure.
authors.affiliation: Sektion für Phoniatrie & Pädaudiologie, Univ. HNO-Klinik Ulm. sibylle.brosch@uniklinik-ulm.de
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brosch
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.forename: C-A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bader
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Harnisch
mesh_terms: D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation; D010855:Pierre Robin Syndrome / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*