NICU INFANTS & SNHL: EXPERIENCE OF A WESTERN SICILY TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Francesco Gazia1, Pietro abita1, GiusePPe alberti1, sabrina loteta1, Patrizia lonGo1, Fabrizia caminiti2, rosalia GarGano3

1Department of Adult and Development Age Human Pathology “Gaetano Barresi”, unit of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Messina, Italy - 2IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Messina, Italy - 3University of Palermo, Bio.Ne.C. Department, ENT Section, Palermo Italy

Introduction: The variability of symptoms and signs caused by central nervous system (CNS) lesions make multiple sclerosis difficult to recognize,Introduction: This study adds the evaluation of the independent etiologic factors that may play a role in the devel- opment of SNHL in a NICU population. We compared neonatal intensive care unit NICU infants with sensorineural hearing loss SNHL to age and gender matched normal hearing NICU controls.

Materials and methods: 284 consecutive NICU infants positive to the presence of risk indicators associated with permanent congenital, delayed-onset, or progressive hearing loss underwent to global audiological assessment. The following risk factors were researched, making a distinction between prenatal and perinatal risk factors: in the first group, family history of permanent childhood hearing impairment, consanguinity, pregnant maternal infection and drugs exposition during pregnancy; in the second group, prema- ture birth, respiratory distress , hyperbilirubinemia requiring exchange tranfusion, very low birth weight, cranio-facial abnormality, perinatal infections, ototoxic drugs administration, acidosis, hyponatremia, head trauma.

Results: The analysis of the auditory deficit for infants according to numbers of risk factors showed mean values of: 78 + 28.08 dB nHL for infants positive to two risk factors; 75.71 + 30.30 dB nHL in cases positive to three risk factors; 96.66 + 34.46 dB nHL for four risk factors and 85 + 35 dB nHL in case of >5 risk factors.

Conclusion: NICU infants have greater chances of developing SNHL, because of the presence of multiple risk factors; in fact, as the number of coexisting risk factors increases, the prevalence rate of SNHL also increases (r=0.81).