Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: medical context and etiology
Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: medical context and etiology
Objective: Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) is
known to impact on school performance and social skills
during childhood, but the etiologies remain unclear. The aim
of this study was to assess various etiologies and to study the
clinical contexts in this population. Methods: The study is a
retrospective review. Characteristics of hearing loss (HL), audiometric
parameters, imaging, and genetic and medical
contexts were analyzed. Results: Eighty children were included.
USNHL was profound in 68%, could be progressive
in 19%, and become bilateral in 7.5% of cases. Inner ear malformations
were identified in 41% of cases; cochlear nerve
deficiency (CND) was frequent (33%). Cytomegalovirus
(CMV) infection and genetic syndromes were confirmed in
10 and 6% of cases, respectively. Conclusion: Long-term
hearing follow-up remains useful in USNHL as it can become
bilateral. Looking to etiology, MRI should be the gold standard,
as CND is frequently observed and screening for CMV
infection should be systematic. Genetic etiologies appear to
be different compared to bilateral HL. Further genetic research
in this domain is needed.
Children - Deafness
Nerve aplasia
Cytomegalovirus
Unilateral Hearing Loss
Genetics
Objective: Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) is
known to impact on school performance and social skills
during childhood, but the etiologies remain unclear. The aim
of this study was to assess various etiologies and to study the
clinical contexts in this population. Methods: The study is a
retrospective review. Characteristics of hearing loss (HL), audiometric
parameters, imaging, and genetic and medical
contexts were analyzed. Results: Eighty children were included.
USNHL was profound in 68%, could be progressive
in 19%, and become bilateral in 7.5% of cases. Inner ear malformations
were identified in 41% of cases; cochlear nerve
deficiency (CND) was frequent (33%). Cytomegalovirus
(CMV) infection and genetic syndromes were confirmed in
10 and 6% of cases, respectively. Conclusion: Long-term
hearing follow-up remains useful in USNHL as it can become
bilateral. Looking to etiology, MRI should be the gold standard,
as CND is frequently observed and screening for CMV
infection should be systematic. Genetic etiologies appear to
be different compared to bilateral HL. Further genetic research
in this domain is needed.
Children - Deafness
Nerve aplasia
Cytomegalovirus
Unilateral Hearing Loss
Genetics