Audiologic consequences of craniofacial abnormalities and the role of the audiologist on the craniofacial interdisciplinary team

Abstract

Craniofacial abnormalities refer to malformations or anomalies of the face or head. When a child is born with a craniofacial abnormality, various aspects of growth and development can be affected. Among these are malformations and dysfunctions of the auditory system. Among children with both syndromic and non-syndromic craniofacial diagnoses, various forms of hearing loss are present. Due to these congenital malformations, this patient population is at a higher risk for conductive, sensorineural and mixed hearing losses. For this reason, it is imperative that the auditory system of these children be monitored closely by an audiologist as part of a larger craniofacial interdisciplinary pediatric team.