title: [Etiological, clinical and neuroradiological investigation of deaf children with additional neuropsychiatric disabilities].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is complicated by additional disabilities in about 30% of cases, but the epidemiology of associated disorders, in terms of type, frequency and aetiology is still not clearly defined. Additional disabilities in a deaf child have important consequences in assessing and choosing a therapeutic treatment, in particular when considering cochlear implantation (CI) or hearing aids (HA). The aim of this paper was to evaluate frequency, type and severity of additional neurodevelopmental disabilities in children with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and to investigate the relationship between disability and the etiology of deafness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty children with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (mean age 5.4 years) were investigated by means of a diagnostic protocol including clinical, neurodevelopmental, and audiological procedures together with genetic and neurometabolic tests and neuroradiological investigation by brain MRI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-five percent of the sample exhibited one or more disabilities in addition to deafness, with cognitive, behavioural-emotional and motor disorders being the most frequent. The risk of additional disabilities varied according to aetiology, with a higher incidence in hereditary syndromic deafness, in cases due to pre-perinatal pathology (in comparison to unknown and hereditary non syndromic forms) and in the presence of major brain abnormalities at MRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the aetiology of deafness may be a significant risk indicator for the presence of neuropsychiatric disorders. A multidimensional evaluation, including aetiological, neurodevelopmental and MRI investigation is needed for formulating prognosis and for planning therapeutic intervention, especially in those children candidated to cochlear implant.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze dello Sviluppo, IRCCS Stella Maris, Calambrone, Pisa, Italia. achilosi@inpe.unipi.it
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chilosi
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Scusa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Comparini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berrettini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cipriani
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003638:Deafness / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome