title: Congenital cytomegalovirus: what the otolaryngologist should know.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important cause of congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that may represent up to 20% of nonsyndromic cases. Congenital CMV is an unrecognized cause of SNHL that all otolaryngologists should be aware of as it represents the only treatable cause of congenital SNHL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The current review highlights the recent advances on congenital CMV, including methods of diagnosis and prevention of progression of hearing loss with valganciclovir treatment. A recent study has shown that 6 months of oral valganciclovir treatment of infants with congenital CMV disease improves audiologic and neurodevelopmental outcomes to at least 2 years of age. Early treatment could, thus, have an important impact on these children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased awareness of congenital CMV SNHL by an otolaryngologist should lead to increased testing, and thus diagnosis, of this condition in newborns diagnosed with congenital SNHL. Prompt treatment with valganciclovir in these patients may consequently lead to prevention of progressive SNHL. Further research toward a CMV vaccine is hoped to eventually lead to prevention of congenital CMV.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duval
authors.forename: Albert H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000151:congenital* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010036:Otolaryngology / Q000592:standards*; D000077562:Valganciclovir
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077562:Valganciclovir; D015774:Ganciclovir