title: Delayed auditory pathway maturation and prematurity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in developed countries and leads to a severe reduction in quality of life. In this uncontrolled case series, we evaluated the auditory development in patients suffering from congenital nonsyndromic hearing impairment related to preterm birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six patients delivered preterm (25th-35th gestational weeks) suffering from mild to profound congenital nonsyndromic hearing impairment, descending from healthy, nonconsanguineous parents and were evaluated by otoacoustic emissions, tympanometry, brainstem-evoked response audiometry, and genetic testing. All patients were treated with hearing aids, and one patient required cochlear implantation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One preterm infant (32nd gestational week) initially presented with a 70 dB hearing loss, accompanied by negative otoacoustic emissions and normal tympanometric findings. The patient was treated with hearing aids and displayed a gradual improvement in bilateral hearing that completely normalized by 14 months of age accompanied by the development of otoacoustic emission responses. Conclusions We present here for the first time a fully documented preterm patient with delayed auditory pathway maturation and normalization of hearing within 14 months of birth. Although rare, postpartum development of the auditory system should, therefore, be considered in the initial stages for treating preterm hearing impaired patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria, martin.koenighofer@medunwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koenighofer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Parzefall
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramsebner
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Klemens
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frei
mesh_terms: D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome