A Follow-up Study of Cleft Children Treated with Primary Bone Grafting:II. Audiological Aspects

Abstract

The effect of early palatal closure and primary bone grafting on function of the Eustachian tube and the middle ear was studied in 53 children with total clefts. Thirty-seven children had complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and 16 had complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. 7 children with a cleft palate only were also included. All children were operated on during 1958–64. All children were examined with otomicroscope and the hearing was tested by pure toneaudiometry at 250–4000 Hz. The ears were examined with tympanometry in cases with an intact ear-drum, to estimate the functional state of the tympanic membrane. In 41 of the 60 children, hearing was normal, i.e., the pure tone threshold did not exceed 15 dB on either side. 18 children had a conductive hearing loss, but it did not exceed 30 dB in the better ear in any child. 7 children had a secretory otitis media. Some children had a pronounced uni-or bilateral underpressure in the tympanic cavity which, however, did not seem to have any association with the type or side of the cleft. It is notable that some children had a normal hearing capacity in spite of a fairly pronounced underpressure in the middle ear.