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Unilateral profound hearing loss and the effect on quality of life after cerebellopontine angle surgery.

Subramaniam K, Eikelboom RH, Eager KM, Atlas MD

Otolaryngology Department, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patients' quality of life after cerebellopontine angle surgery, and in particular, quality of life related to unilateral profound hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional in a tertiary referral center. Quality of life of 51 postoperative patients was assessed by using the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI). Thirty patients with unilateral profound hearing loss who had undergone the translabyrinthine approach completed a subsequent quality-of-life questionnaire on speech discrimination and sound localization. RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of respondents to the 2nd survey reported difficulties with speech discrimination, and 97%, with sound localization. The general health and overall GBI indices correlated significantly (P < 0.01) with a number of speech and localization difficulties. CONCLUSION: Unilateral profound hearing loss may be a significant factor in a change in quality of life after cerebellopontine angle surgery. SIGNIFICANCE: Rehabilitation devices that improve discrimination and localization, and hearing preservation surgery, if indicated, should be considered for these patients.

Published 6 September 2005 in Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 133(3): 339-46.
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