Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Blood Transfusion/adverse effects , Child , Female , Humans , Leukocytosis/etiology , Lymphopenia/etiology , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
Deafness is defined as the inability to use hearing as a primary channel for receiving speech, even with amplification. Hearing loss, on the other hand, is hearing impairment of various degrees that could be unilateral or bilateral. In the United States, approximately one out of every 1,000 children is born deaf with 3-5 being born with less severe degrees of hearing impairment. Deafness present at birth could be due to genetic abnormalities or due to injury to the developing auditory system or due to developmental anomalies of this system. Deafness can also develop after birth and, in broad terms, the cause can be toxic, infectious, neoplastic, traumatic or degenerative. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) review the effects of deafness on the child, (2) discuss the causes of deafness, (3) describe the clinical characteristics which allow early diagnosis and the algorithm otolaryngologists use to investigate a child suspected to be deaf, (4) describe the management of the deaf child and finally, (5) review the results of rehabilitation.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Cochlear Implantation , Deafness/diagnosis , Female , Hearing Aids , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Mass Screening/methods , Prognosis , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
R.K. is a surgery of tomorrow. It is still in the stage of evolution. It should be under-taken only for precise indications. Case evaluation and honest advice to the patient is important. The patient should be explained that the worst can happen. The surgery should be limited to moderate degrees of myopia, not less than -3.0 D sphere and not more than 8 to 10 D. It has no place for myopia with degenerative retinal changes. Surgery should be interrupted at the first sign of a significant operative complication. It will be unfortunate if a healthy eye is lost due to complications of R.K. done with indiscriminate approach and ignorance of possible post-operative consequences.