ABSTRACT
The author presents the results of his experience concerning brain stem evoked response in children. 122 cases are put forth. It shows that although behavioral audiometry is impossible in 7% of the cases, the BERA (Brain stem Evoked Response Audiology) is not reliable in 26.5% of the treble frequencies and 36% of the bass frequencies. Thus, it is not possible to equip children with hearing aids based on this given alone.
Subject(s)
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem , Hearing Loss, Bilateral/diagnosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hearing Loss, Bilateral/physiopathology , Humans , Infant , Male , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
From 1991 until 1998, 55 three to twelve year-old patients underwent a velopharyngoplasty to correct velopharyngeal insufficiency. They had indeed severe hypernasality with or without gross reflux of food matter into the nasal cavities or behavioural disturbances. Eighty-two percent had a closed cleft palate. Forty percent presented with mental retardation, heart diseases or multiple syndromal defects. They all had had a previous speech therapy for a long (months) or a very long (years) period of time. In the post operative period, hypernasality disappeared totally or partially in eighty-five percent; reflux disappeared in almost all cases. Middle ear pathologies were not more frequent and were also less severe. Behavioral disturbances associated with a severe speech defect were also less pronounced.