Reliability of the Unilateral Hearing Loss in Youth Instrument for Children With Single-Sided Deafness.

PURPOSE: While general practice parameter recommendations for children with unilateral hearing loss or single-sided deafness (SSD) have been published, clinically utilized subjective instruments specifically designed to assess this population are scarce. Treatment options are evaluated using audiometric data, speech perception data, and quality of life instruments. The Unilateral Hearing Loss in Youth (uniHELO) is a subjective assessment instrument that aims to evaluate the listening challenges in this population, but it has not yet been studied in a clinical setting. This study examined the reliability of the uniHELO among children with SSD. METHOD: This was a prospective within-subject study. Nine patients with SSD, aged 8-14 years, were enrolled. Participants had not used a personal hearing device for at least 6 months prior to enrollment. The uniHELO instrument was administered at two clinic visits separated by 3-4 weeks. For comparison, the Pediatric and Parent Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) instruments were administered during the same visits. RESULTS: uniHELO scores were not significantly different between the first and second visits. The correlations of scale scores over time were: .96 for the uniHELO, which suggests excellent test-retest reliability; .84 for the Parent SSQ, which also suggests excellent test-retest reliability; and .27 for the Pediatric SSQ, which suggests poor test-retest reliability compared to the Parent SSQ and uniHELO. CONCLUSIONS: Within-subject scale uniHELO scores between clinic visits showed excellent test-retest reliability across items. The test-retest reliability scores for the uniHELO were also stronger than those for the Parent and Pediatric SSQ. These data support the use of the uniHELO to evaluate listening challenges in children with SSD.

Pilot Cap Acoustic Transparency for Pediatric Amplification Devices.

PURPOSE: Consistent hearing device use in young children with hearing loss is challenging for families. A hearing aid accessory, called a pilot cap, is often recommended to families to help mitigate the issues around device retention. Although pilot caps are commonly suggested to families, there is sparse data available about how acoustically transparent they are when used with a hearing aid. The purpose of this study was to measure the acoustic transparency when a hearing aid functions under a pilot cap accessory. METHOD: The Verifit 2 Hearing Aid Analyzer and the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII) were used to measure acoustic transparency related to access of aided speech. Measurements involved four hearing aids that are commonly fit on pediatric patients and four different commercially available pilot caps. SII data were collected at two intensity levels for four simulated sensorineural hearing losses (SNHLs). Response differences between acoustic measurements with a hearing aid plus a pilot cap compared with the hearing aid alone (control) were collected. RESULTS: A total of 80 SII measurements were made. There were 16 SII measurements of the hearing aid alone (control conditions) and 64 SII measurements with combinations of the hearing aids and pilot caps selected for this study. For each hearing aid, there was no significant difference between the SII measurements collected for the hearing aid alone and the hearing aid plus a pilot cap. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the different pilot caps used with each hearing aid tested. CONCLUSIONS: Pilot cap use with the four types of hearing aids in this study results in no significant differences in acoustic transparency compared with the control condition. The data in this study support the use of the pilot caps for hearing device retention in children with hearing loss. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22647217.

Characterization of hearing status in children under 3 years of age with cleft palate.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the hearing thresholds of children under 3 years of age with cleft palate with or without cleft lip. METHODS: This retrospective study from a tertiary care children's hospital included children with cleft palate ± cleft lip born between January 01, 2008, and December 31, 2015. All patients who had the initial palate repair at our institution and at least one behavioral audiogram were included. Behavioral audiograms collected either in the sound field or under insert earphones showed results from the better hearing ear. We collected demographic information, cleft type, parent report of newborn hearing screen, syndrome diagnosis, comorbid conditions, and dates of tympanostomy tube placement and palatoplasty. The main outcome measure was hearing status as measured by behavioral audiograms, and, for a subset of patients, brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER). Results were grouped by test type (behavioral vs BAER) and characteristics at time of testing (pre- or post-palatoplasty, with or without tympanostomy tube placement) to evaluate the range of severity of hearing loss. RESULTS: Three hundred and sixty patients were included in the cohort. The cohort had two groups: Group 1 included 37 patients who had BAER results prior to surgery and behavioral audiogram results post-surgery; Group 2 included 322 patients who had behavioral audiograms pre-surgery (n = 206) and/or post-surgery (n = 215). The median age of patients at time of BAER in Group 1 was 3.00 months [IQR: 1.00,3.75]; pre-surgery BAER results showed mild (45.9%, n = 17) or moderate hearing loss (29.7%, n = 11) by this age. Patients in Group 2 with pre-surgery behavioral audiograms had a median age of 12.00 months [IQR: 11.00, 14.00] at time of audiogram. Most patients had a mild (33.5%, n = 69) or moderate hearing loss (31.1%, n = 64). Post-surgery, patients had a median age of 13.00 months [IQR: 11.00, 15.00] at time of hearing assessment and typically had normal hearing (86.0%, n = 185). In most patients, hearing improved after palate repair with concurrent tympanostomy tube placement. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with cleft palate ± cleft lip had evidence of mild or moderate hearing loss prior to cleft palate repair, and hearing loss was evident from early infancy. Hearing improved after concurrent tympanostomy tube placement and palatoplasty. Further research is needed to understand the clinical significance of untreated transient hearing loss during the first year of life in this patient population.

Educational Environments and Secondary School Outcomes Among Students Who Are D/deaf and Hard of Hearing in Special Education.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide updated national estimates on the annual number, educational environments, and secondary school outcomes of students who are D/deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) receiving special education (SpEd) and related services in the United States. METHOD: We performed a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive analysis of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Section 618 data from 2012 to 2018. Participants included students 6-21 years old in SpEd with "hearing impairment" reported as their primary disability. The general population of students in secondary school served as a comparator, via Current Population Survey data. We described the annual number of students (a) overall, (b) by educational environment, and (c) by reason for exiting SpEd, including the proportion graduating from and dropping out of secondary school. We described variation over time. RESULTS: The median annual number of students was 67,655, with minimal variation by year. The proportion in general education (GenEd) for ≥ 80% of the day increased by 4.2% over 6 years from 57.8% to 62.0%, whereas the proportions in GenEd for < 40% and 40%-79% of the day decreased by 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively. Proportions in the remainder of the environments changed < 1.0% each. Of exiters, 86.8% of students graduated, whereas 3.9% dropped out, compared to a dropout rate of 5.0% in the general population. CONCLUSION: From 2012 to 2018, students who are D/HH receiving SpEd in the United States have spent increasingly more time in GenEd, most graduated from high school, and few dropped out, with dropout patterns appearing similar to the general population.

Reliability of Measuring Insertion Depth in Cochlear Implanted Infants and Children Using Cochlear View Radiography.

OBJECTIVES: Cochlear implant depth of insertion affects audiologic outcomes and can be measured in adults using plain films obtained in the "cochlear view." The objective of this study was to assess interrater and intrarater reliability of measuring depth of insertion using cochlear view radiography. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, observational. SETTING: Tertiary referral pediatric hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 11 months to 20 years (median, 4 years; interquartile range [IQR], 1-8 years) undergoing cochlear implantation at our institution were studied over 1 year. Children underwent cochlear view imaging on postoperative day 1. Films were deidentified and 1 image per ear was selected. Two cochlear implant surgeons and 2 radiologists evaluated each image and determined angular depth of insertion. Images were re-reviewed 6 weeks later by all raters. Inter- and intrarater reliability were calculated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). RESULTS: Fifty-seven ears were imaged from 42 children. Forty-nine ears (86%) had successful cochlear view x-rays. Median angular depth of insertion was 381° (minimum, 272°; maximum, 450°; IQR, 360°-395°) during the first round of measurement. Measurements of the same images reviewed 6 weeks later showed median depth of insertion of 382° (minimum, 272°; maximum, 449°; IQR, 360°-397°). Interrater and intrarater reliability ICCs ranged between 0.81 and 0.96, indicating excellent reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative cochlear view radiography is a reliable tool for measurement of cochlear implant depth of insertion in infants and children. Further studies are needed to determine reliability of intraoperatively obtained cochlear view radiographs in this population.

Auditory comprehension outcomes in children who receive a cochlear implant before 12 months of age.

OBJECTIVE: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines for cochlear implantation (CI) include age greater than 12 months. Studies have suggested that implantation in children younger than 12 months with congenital deafness may be associated with better spoken language outcomes. Compare auditory comprehension (AC) outcomes for children with congenital deafness who received CI less than 12 months of age to those implanted at 12 to 24 months of age. METHODS: Retrospective review of prospectively collected data in consecutively implanted patients under 2 years of age who received CI and had post-CI Preschool Language Scale (PLS)-AC scores. Receptive language was assessed with the AC subtest of the PLS. Patients without pre-CI PLS-AC scores were excluded. The association between age at implantation and post-CI PLS-AC scores up to 2 years after CI surgery was modeled using a linear mixed-effects model. Time from CI surgery, number of implants, risk factors for language delay, pre-CI PLS-AC score, and sex were included in the model. Patients implanted less than 12 months of age were compared to those implanted between 12 and 24 months. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients who had CI surgery by 12 months and 82 who had CI surgery between 12 and 24 months were included in the analysis. Younger age at implantation and better pre-CI PLS-AC scores were significantly associated with better post-CI PLS-AC scores. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation in children with congenital deafness less than 12 months of age was associated with better PLS-AC than in children implanted over 12 months of age up to 2 years after implantation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:776-781, 2020.

Feasibility of Acupuncture to Induce Sleep for Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response Testing.

Purpose Brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing is often performed under general anesthesia for children unable to complete behavioral audiologic evaluation. Alternatively, acupuncture treatment may be considered appropriate for BAER. Reports of acupuncture treatment in pediatric patients are scarce but are needed to demonstrate effectiveness. This study had 2 main objectives: (a) to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of acupuncture to achieve sleep to perform diagnostic BAER testing in medically complex (Cohort I) and nonmedically complex (Cohort II) children and (b) to assess acceptability to parents and audiologists of acupuncture as an alternative to anesthesia for BAER testing. Method A prospective feasibility study at Seattle Children's Hospital Outpatient Audiology Clinic from August 2015 through December 2018 was performed. A total of 31 pediatric patients were included. The median age for Cohort I was 29 months (interquartile range: 19-37 months), and the median age for Cohort II was 25.5 months (interquartile range: 16-32 months). Variables included number of BAER thresholds obtained, sleep indicators, and acceptability. The cost of BAER with acupuncture and the cost of BAER under anesthesia were compared. Results Acupuncture treatment effectively contributed to an adequate sleep state to obtain BAER results for most patients in both cohorts. Across cohorts, most patients (81%) fell asleep after acupuncture treatment. Complete test results were obtained in 48% of patients. Audiologists and parents reported high satisfaction rates with this procedure (87%). There were no adverse safety effects. Acupuncture treatment was less costly than anesthesia for BAER testing. Conclusions Acupuncture to induce sleep for BAER testing is effective, safe, and cost-efficient in small samples of medically and nonmedically complex pediatric patients. This procedure allowed earlier detection of hearing status and avoided potential adverse effects of anesthesia. Audiologists and parents reported that acupuncture treatment was an acceptable alternative to anesthesia for the BAER procedure.

Comparison of MRI in pediatric cochlear implant recipients with and without retained magnet.

OBJECTIVE: To report and compare medical, radiological, and audiological outcomes in pediatric cochlear implant recipients who underwent 1.5 and 3 Tesla strength MRI with and without retained magnet. METHODS: Retrospective chart review at a tertiary care pediatric hospital and review of literature. Patients were identified via electronic medical records database search and were included if they had MRI after cochlear implant. RESULTS: Of twelve instances of MRI in pediatric cochlear implant recipients at our institution, two minor complications and one major complication were recorded. The rate of complication was equal between patients who underwent MRI with and without retained magnet. All minor complications resulted from MRI with retained magnet whereas the only major complication resulted from magnet removal. Two novel complications are reported, including: magnet removal resulting in silastic tear necessitating reimplantation and magnet dislocation with spontaneous reduction. Magnet removal significantly decreased the size of artifact, but did not alter the diagnostic utility of the MRI. While audiological measures varied chronologically from MRI scans, they did not appear to be appreciably altered by MRI. CONCLUSION: MRI with and without magnet retention appear to carry risks of both major and minor complications. For the regions of interest for each scan, MRI quality was not appreciably altered by magnet status. Audiological measures appear unaffected by magnet status during MRI however, this may reflect natural variation.