Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children and auditory performance with respect to right/left ear differences.

A group of children suffering from unilateral hearing loss (UHL) were evaluated. Serological tests were performed and vaccination against mumps was offered if negative. In 43.6% of the cases mumps was the plausible cause but a further 33.3% had positive serological tests for mumps without having had the clinical disease. Due to the long delay in the diagnosis of UHL, the question of mumps as major causative agent can be solved only when the results from prophylactic vaccination become apparent in the future. Thirty children aged 10-16 years underwent further audiological examination in order to detect any difference between right and left UHL. The results of word discrimination scores (PB lists) show the well known superiority of binaural v. monaural hearing but was too crude for a detailed analysis of ear difference. An interrupted speech test in background noise shows, however, that right ear impaired children perform significantly poorer than the left ear impaired and are at risk whenever reverberation conditions are poor.