Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Audiology, Ankara, Turkey.
Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Audiology, Ankara, Turkey.
Am J Otolaryngol. 2021 Jan-Feb;42(1):102830. doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102830. Epub 2020 Nov 5.
Hearing is an important sensory skill for psychomotor development. As the cochlea and vestibule share the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear, children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) may have vestibular dysfunction. This study aimed to evaluate static, dynamic, functional balance, and mobility as a whole in children with SNHL.
Eighty children, 40 with bilateral severe-to-profound SNHL (20 children between the ages of 6-10 were included in the Group 1, and 20 children between the ages of 11-15 were included in the Group 2) and 40 with normal-hearing (the Group 3 included 20 children between the ages of 6-10 and the Group 4 of 20 children between the ages of 11-15) were included in the study. The Single-Leg Stance (SLS) Test, Functional Reach Test (FRT), Time Up and Go (TUG) Test, and Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) were used to evaluate the balance skills of children.
The present study found out that children with SNHL in both age groups performed worse than those with normal-hearing in FRT, SLS, and PBS. In the TUG test, children with SNHL in the younger age group had lower performance compared to their peers with normal-hearing while the TUG performance of children with SNHL in the older age group was similar to their normal-hearing peers.
It was concluded that the static, dynamic and functional balance skills of children with SNHL were impaired compared to their normal-hearing peers. Including balance assessment in the routine test battery in children with SNHL may be decisive for early diagnosis and rehabilitation of balance disorders. It may be beneficial to add static, dynamic and functional balance tests to the test battery in addition to mobility assessment, especially in children with SNHL in the older age groups.
听力是心理运动发育的重要感觉技能。由于耳蜗和前庭在内耳的膜迷路中共享，因此患有感觉神经性听力损失（SNHL）的儿童可能存在前庭功能障碍。本研究旨在评估 SNHL 儿童的静态、动态、功能性平衡和整体移动能力。
80 名儿童，40 名双侧重度至极重度 SNHL（20 名年龄在 6-10 岁的儿童归入第 1 组，20 名年龄在 11-15 岁的儿童归入第 2 组）和 40 名听力正常（第 3 组包括 20 名年龄在 6-10 岁的儿童，第 4 组包括 20 名年龄在 11-15 岁的儿童）的儿童被纳入研究。单腿站立测试（SLS）、功能性伸展测试（FRT）、起立-行走测试（TUG）和小儿平衡量表（PBS）用于评估儿童的平衡技能。
本研究发现，两组年龄的 SNHL 儿童在 FRT、SLS 和 PBS 中的表现均不如听力正常的儿童。在 TUG 测试中，年龄较小的 SNHL 儿童的表现低于同龄听力正常的儿童，而年龄较大的 SNHL 儿童的 TUG 表现与听力正常的同龄人相似。
与听力正常的同龄人相比，SNHL 儿童的静态、动态和功能性平衡技能受损。在 SNHL 儿童的常规测试组合中纳入平衡评估可能对早期诊断和平衡障碍康复具有决定性意义。除了移动能力评估外，在测试组合中增加静态、动态和功能性平衡测试可能是有益的，尤其是在年龄较大的 SNHL 儿童中。
