Cleft palates may also cause hearing loss in patients due to reoccurring otitis meadia. There is a large debate over how this should be treated. The options that different doctors suggest include prescriptions, ventilation tube, otorhinolaryngological and audiological assistance, or hearing rehabilitation with the use of a hearing aid. Cleft palate and lip patients encounter middle ear problems due to movement of the Eustachian tube caused by an incomplete insertion of the palate tensor and elevator muscles; this causes pressure in the middle ear which leads to otitis media. 52% of cleft palate patients have a history of otitis media. It is concluded that hearing aids can help these cleft patients once the ventilation tube has been removed. It is a non-invasive way to treat hearing loss due to chronic otitis media.
Zambonato, Ticiana Cristina de Freitas. "Profile of Patients with Cleft Palate Fitted with Hearing Aids". Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology. 75.6(2009). ScifloBrazil.7 July 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment