Valganciclovir Is Beneficial in Children with Congenital Cytomegalovirus and Isolated Hearing Loss

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of antiviral treatment for infants with congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) with isolated sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Study design: Data were reviewed retrospectively for infants with isolated SNHL who received prolonged antiviral treatment between 2005 and 2017. Hearing status was evaluated for infants who had been followed for >1 year. Results: Among 329 infants treated for cCMV, 59 (18%) were born with isolated SNHL. Hearing impairment was unilateral in 38 (64.4%) infants and bilateral in 21 (35.6%). Of the 80 affected ears at baseline, 55 (68.8%) improved, and only 2 (2.5%) deteriorated. Most of the improved ears (53/55 = 96.3%) returned to normal hearing with no deterioration observed in the ears that were unaffected at baseline. On best ear evaluation, of 21 infants who had bilateral hearing loss, 16 (76.1%) improved (93.7% regaining normal functional hearing); none deteriorated. Conclusion: Infants born with isolated SNHL due to cCMV were found to benefit from prolonged antiviral treatment. These children (and ears) showed significant improvement in hearing status and no deterioration of unaffected ears at baseline. Our data serve as observational evidence of the benefits of antiviral treatment in these children. Avoiding treatment of these children due to the lack of prospective data is debatable.