Short-term Impact of Cleft Palate Repair on Hearing and Middle Ear Function in Infants

  Objective  To study the short-term impact of cleft palate repair surgery on hearing and middle ear function in infants.

  Methods  Thirty-three infants with cleft palate who received cleft palate repair surgery from January 2013 to November 2014 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were included in this study, including 22 male infants and 11 female infants. They were examined using distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE), auditory brainstem response (ABR), 226 Hz probe-tone tympanometry before surgery and 1-24 months after surgery.

  Results  The mean age of the 33 infants (66 ears) at the time of surgery was 17 months (8.5-25 months). Sixty-four ears were examined with preoperative DPOAE, with 7 ears (10.9%) passed; postoperative DPOAE was performed in 56 ears, with 19 ears (33.9%) passed. The passing rate was significantly improved after operation (P < 0.01). In the 54 ears for which both preoperative and postoperative DPOAE were conducted, 16 ears (29.6%) showed improved hearing. Sixty-three ears were examined with preoperative ABR, showing a mean hearing threshold of (43.73±13.65)dB nHL; 62 ears were examined with postoperative ABR, showing a mean hearing threshold of (35.65±13.75)dB nHL, significantly improved compared with the preoperative threshold (P < 0.01). In the 53 ears which received both preoperative and postoperative ABR, 29 ears(54.7%) showed reduced hearing thresholds. There was no significant difference in 226 Hz probe-tone tympanometry between preoperative and postoperative examinations(P>0.05).

  Conclusion  In infants with cleft palate, short-term hearing improvement may be observed after repair surgery, while middle ear function may show no obvious improvement.