Audiological range in Turner's syndrome

Turner's syndrome is generally characterised by bilateral gonadal disgenesis, short stature and inadequate sexual development secondary to anomalous karyotype. The purely otorhinolaryngoiatric pathology considerably influences the symptomatological features in Turner's subject and this is based on possible morphologically structured anomalies in the external, middle and inner ear, but also on the oral cavity and pharynx. From this there is evidence of otological emergence on a phlogistic infectious basis with remarkable long-term repercussion on the hearing process. Otofunctional evaluation in 21 Turner's syndrome patients shows predominance of conductive hearing loss (42.8%), proven through evidence of otitis media (33.3%) and chronic otitis media (9.5%). This, therefore, demands an attentive audiologic monitoring related to the possible development of chronic forms or cholesteatoma and the possible rehabilitative-prothesis procedure. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.