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High-frequency hearing loss in children with cleft palate has been documented recently. The present study was designed to investigate whether hearing loss can result solely as a consequence of middle-ear disease in early life or as a result of cleft palate and its sequelae which include middle-ear disease. Our results demonstrate that auditory functions for test frequencies 250-6 000 Hz were not significantly different among the two investigational groups of children with high incidence of middle-ear disease, and a control group of children with virtually no middle-ear disease. However, for high-frequency thresholds (8 000-20 000 Hz), both groups of children with high incidence of middle-ear disease were statistically different from the control group. Moreover, the children with cleft palate had high-frequency hearing that was statistically similar to that of children with normal orofacial structures and high incidence of middle-ear disease. Middle-ear disease alone, then, is a sufficient condition for loss of high-frequency sensitivity.La perte auditive des hautes frééquences chez les enfants porteurs d'une fissure palatine a fait l'objet d'une documentation réécente. Cette éétude a éétéé organiséée de faççon àà éétablir si la perte auditive pouvait réésulter uniquement d'une maladie de l'oreille moyenne dans la petite enfance, ou d'une fissure palatine et de ses sééquelles qui comprennent les otites moyennes. Entre les deux groupes d'enfants préédisposéés aux otites moyennes, et un groupe de contro˘le constituéé d'enfants rarement atteints d'otites moyennes, nos réésultats n'indiquent pas de difféérences significatives quant aux fonctions auditives pour des frééquences d'essai de 250 àà 6 000 Hz. Nééanmoins, en ce qui concerne les seuils aux hautes frééquences (de 8 000 àà 20 000 Hz), les deux groupes d'enfants préédisposéés aux otites moyennes éétaient statistiquement difféérents du groupe de contro˘le. En outre, les enfants porteurs d'une fissure palatine avaient une audition des hautes frééquences qui éétait statistiquement semblable àà celle des enfants porteurs de structures orofaciales normales et qui éétaient préédisposéés aux otites moyennes. A elle seule, une atteinte de l'oreille moyenne semble done ětre une condition suffisante pour l'apparition d'une perte auditive sur les hautes frééquences.

The latency-intensity functions (LIFs) of ABRs elicited by high-frequency (8, 10, 12, and 14 kHz) toneburst stimuli were evaluated in 20 subjects with confirmed 'moderate' high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss. Wave V results from clicks and tonebursts revealed all intra- and intersession data to be reliable (p > 0.05). Linear regression curves were highly significant (p ≤ 0.0001), indicating linear relationships for all stimuli analyzed. Comparisons between the linear regression curves from a previously reported normal-hearing subject group and this sensorineural hearing-impaired group showed no significant differences. This study demonstrated that tonebursts at 8, 10, and 12 kHz evoked ABRs which decreased in latency as a function of increasing intensity and that these LIFs were consistent and orderly (14 kHz was not determinable). These results will contribute information to facilitate the establishment of change criteria used to predict change in hearing during treatment with ototoxic medications.