Deafness Flashcards
What are the types of hearing loss?
o Sensorineural: caused by a lesion in the cochlea or auditory nerve and is usually present at birth
o Conductive: from abnormalities of the ear canal or the middle ear- most often from otitis media with effusion.
What are the causes of sensorineural hearing loss?
Genetic Antenatal and postnatal: Congenital infection Preterm Hypoxic-ischaemic-encephalopathy Hyperbilirubinaemia Postnatal: Meningitis/encephalitis Head injury Drugs: ahminoglycosides, furosemide Neurodegenerative disorder
What are the causes of conductive hearing loss?
Otitis media with effusion (glue ear) Eustachain tube dysfunction: Down syndrome Cleft palate Pierre Robin sequence Mid-facial hypoplasia Wax
What are the characteristics of sensorineural hearing loss?
1 in 1000 live births, 1 in 100 extremely low weight
Irreversible and can be of any severity
Cochlear implants may be requires when hearing aids give insufficient amplification
May be profound >95 db hearing loss
What are the characteristics of conductive hearing loss?
More common than sensorineural hearing loss
In association with URTI- episodes of hearing loss such are usually self-limiting
Children with Down syndrome, cleft palate and atopy are particularly prone to hearing loss from the middle ear disease
Maximum of 60db hearing loss
Intermittent or resolves
Management is conservative, amplification or surgery
What is the pathology of OME?
Adenoids can harbour organisms within biofilms that contribute to infection spreading up the Eustachian tube, in addition, grossly hypertrophied adenoids may obstruct and affect the function of the Eustachian tubes, leading to poor ventilation of the middle ear and subsequent recurrent infections
How is otitis media confirmed?
Flat trace on tympanometry in conjunction with evidence of a conductive loss on pure tone audiometry (possible if >4 years old)
Reduced hearing on a distraction hearing test in younger children
