Conotruncal cardiac anomalies and otitis media

Hearing Loss after Cardiac Surgery in Infancy: An Unintended Consequence of Life-Saving Care

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence of hearing loss after cardiac surgery in infancy, patient and operative factors associated with hearing loss, and the relationship of hearing loss to neurodevelopmental outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN

Audiologic and neurodevelopmental evaluations were conducted on 348 children who underwent repair of congenital heart disease at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as part of a prospective study evaluating neurodevelopmental outcomes at 4 years of age. A prevalence estimate was calculated based on presence and type of hearing loss. Potential risk factors and the impact of hearing loss on neurodevelopmental outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

The prevalence of hearing loss was 21.6% (95% CI, 17.2-25.9). The prevalence of conductive hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and indeterminate hearing loss were 12.4% (95% CI, 8.8-16.0), 6.9% (95% CI, 4.1-9.7), and 2.3% (95% CI, 0.6-4.0), respectively. Only 18 of 348 subjects (5.2%) had screened positive for hearing loss before this study and 10 used a hearing aid. After adjusting for patient and operative covariates, younger gestational age, longer postoperative duration of stay, and a confirmed genetic anomaly were associated with hearing loss (all P < .01). The presence of hearing loss was associated with worse language, cognition and attention (P <.01).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the prevalence of hearing loss in preschool children after heart surgery in infancy may be 20-fold higher than in the 1% prevalence seen in the general population. Younger gestational age, presence of a genetic anomaly, and longer postoperative duration of stay were associated with hearing loss. Hearing loss was associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Spectrum of Middle and Inner Ear Abnormalities in Infants With Congenital Heart Defects

Objective:

To evaluate temporal bone histopathology in infants with congenital heart defects (CHD).

Study Design and Setting:

A retrospective review of our temporal bone collection was conducted to identify temporal bones acquired from infants with CHD. Subjects were divided into nonsyndromic and syndromic CHD groups. The presence of temporal bone abnormalities and the incidence of abnormalities that may result in hearing impairment were determined.

Results:

Thirty-eight temporal bones obtained from 16 infants with nonsyndromic CHD and 4 with syndromic CHD were evaluated. Nonsyndromic CHD cases had abnormalities such as a mesenchymal remnant, malformed stapes, persistent stapedial artery, shallow round window, dehiscent facial nerve canal, short cochlea, strial basophilic deposits, deformity of the spiral ligament, bulging Reissner's membrane, hypoplastic lateral semicircular canal, and cupular deposits. Syndromic CHD cases had abnormalities including narrow round window niche, facial canal dehiscence, strial basophilic deposits and cysts, and outer hair cell loss. Middle and inner ear abnormalities that may impair hearing were observed in 6 subjects with nonsyndromic CHD and in 1 subject with syndromic CHD.

Conclusions:

A wide variety of temporal bone defects were documented in infants with CHD. Congenital middle and inner ear abnormalities should be anticipated in the hearing assessment and otologic surgery of infants with CHD.

Chronic Ear Surgery in Patients With Syndromes and Multiple Congenital Malformations

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

The propensity for the development of chronic ear disease in patients with certain congenital syndromes is well described. Little is known about the efficacy of surgery in the management of such patients. This paper will review an institutional experience with the surgical management of chronic ear disease in patients with congenital syndromes or multiple major malformations associated with high rates of ear disease.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

METHODS

Charts were reviewed to identify patients diagnosed with either a congenital syndrome or multiple major malformations with a known association with the development of chronic ear disease who underwent ear surgery for chronic ear disease (excluding tympanostomy tube placement). Syndromes encountered, surgeries performed, operative outcomes, complications, and the efficacy of ossicular chain reconstruction is reported.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients with 14 different syndromes or malformations were identified. These patients underwent 66 surgical procedures on 56 ears. Seventy-nine percent of patients had undergone an ear procedure prior to presentation. Disease eradication was achieved in 64% of ears with a single procedure, and 89% of ears were controlled with two surgeries or less. Thirty-two percent of surgeries involved a canal wall down procedure, a rate similar to that seen for all patients in our practice over the past decade. When used, ossicular chain reconstruction significantly reduced the air-bone gap, resulting in hearing improvement. Results for patients with Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, and conotruncal cardiac abnormalities are discussed. Only minor complications were encountered.

CONCLUSIONS

Syndromic patients and those with a major congenital malformation may present with significant chronic ear disease. Appropriate surgical management can yield successful eradication of disease with low complication rates.

Cardiac development and perinatal care of infants with neural crest-associated conotruncal defects

The neural crest constitutes a developmental field which is a morphogenetically reactive unit of the embryo. Disruption of this developmental field causes a constellation of anomalies to occur. Clustering of phenotypic abnormalities has allowed clinicians to recognize neural crest-associated syndromes with developmental abnormalities of the cardiovascular system, head, and neck. Basic research is beginning to unravel how these phenotypic characteristics are related to specific gene defects expressed during development. Currently, we do not know a one-to-one relationship between phenotypes and genotypes. These neonates with neural crest-associated conotruncal defects are born with recognizable complex cyanotic heart defects that are ductal-dependent. It may be difficult to judge if they have DiGeorge or velocardiofacial syndromes; thus, genetic counseling is of importance. Besides their life-threatening cardiovascular defects, these neonates frequently have either transient or persistent hypocalcemia or severe immunodeficiencies that require critical care management. This review will focus on the basic research underpinnings and currently recommended clinical care of infants with neural crest-associated conotruncal defects.