Episode # 16 • 16 Feb 2021
Congenital Hearing Loss
We talk with Dr. Rachel St. John and Dr. Walter Kutz about Congenital Hearing Loss including causes, available treatments, and counseling.
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In this episode, Dr. Rachel St. John and Dr. Walter Kutz join hosts Dr. Ashley Agan and Dr. Gopi Shah to discuss congenital hearing loss.
Dr. St. John and Dr. Kutz outline the newborn hearing screening process and describe the benefits of both the traditional otoacoustic emission (OAE) test and auditory brainstem response (ABR) test for different conditions. They emphasize the importance of imaging in patients with late-onset and/or asymmetric hearing loss. The factors that influence the selection of imaging modality are also discussed.
Next, the diagnosis and management of hearing loss in children with auditory neuropathy, cytomegalovirus, and meningitis are reviewed. The potential role of cochlear implantation (CI) in each of these conditions is highlighted. Dr. St. John and Dr. Kutz emphasize that the journey following CI varies for each child, and that it often takes time to reap the benefits of the procedure. Lastly, Dr. St. John stresses the importance of early language exposure – through multiple mediums – to ensure that children do not miss out on crucial early brain development.
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