Impacts of ventriculoperitoneal shunt on hearing threshold and speech discrimination among hydrocephalic children

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hearing loss (HL) in children with hydrocephalus (HCP) and to assess the impact of the ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt on their hearing threshold and speech discrimination percentage. Methodology: This was a case–control study. A total of 20 children who experienced HCP and 20 healthy controls were recruited. All participants in the study were subjected to a systematic clinical examination including otomicroscopic, audiometric (Pure-tone audiometry and speech audiometry), and tympanometric examination before and after VP shunt. Results: The mean age ± standard deviation for the HCP children and the control group was 5.4 ± 0.994 and 5.8 ± 1.196 years, respectively. The prevalence of HL in hydrocephalic children was 40%, and they had raising mild-to-moderate sensorineural HL. Children with HCP (preoperative) had a statistically significantly higher pure-tone threshold at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz than the control group. They also had a statistically significantly lower speech discrimination percentage than the control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the preoperative and the postoperative groups in pure-tone thresholds at 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz. There is also a statistically significant difference between the preoperative and the postoperative groups in speech discrimination percentage. Conclusion: Early diagnosis in children with HCP is important. The results of the current study add further evidence of hearing impairment in hydrocephalic children and improvement in hearing after shunt operation. Auditory assessment is highly recommended for all hydrocephalic children as a routine examination.