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To determine if Gadolinium-based enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (GdMRI) can be used to predict sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in pediatric patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis.Design: Retrospective chart review.Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah.and Methods: We studied forty-two pediatric patients diagnosed with bacterial meningitis who underwent brain GdMRI during their index hospital admission and for whom ear specific audiometric data were available (August 2008-July 2018). A pediatric neuroradiologist, blinded to both disease and audiometric data, rated cochlear enhancement of each GdMRI (0-3; none to markedly enhanced).Ear specific MRI scores were statistically significantly related to ear specific hearing outcomes (p 0.01). SNHL occurred in 19 out of 82 ears (12 out of 42 patients; 2 ears were excluded due to pre-existing SNHL in one ear and inability to read the GdMRI on the other ear). Ten of 19 ears (53%) that developed SNHL showed mild/moderate/marked enhancement (MRI score of 1, 2, or 3 respectively). Fifty-three of the 63 unaffected ears (84%) showed no enhancement (MRI score of 0). Ten of 13 (77%) ears that developed severe to profound SNHL showed mild/moderate/marked enhancement. GdMRI was 58% sensitive and 84% specific in predicting which ears would develop SNHL. GdMRI was 77% sensitive and 84% specific in identifying severe to profound SNHL.Our study demonstrates that GdMRI is a promising tool for predicting specifically severe-profound hearing loss in pediatric patients following bacterial meningitis infection.

Objective Antioxidants have been used as a therapeutic measure for several causes of hearing loss, and this study aims to examine the use of antioxidants in children with congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV)–related hearing loss. Study Design Case-control study. Setting Academic pediatric hospital. Subjects and Methods A retrospective chart review of pediatric patients with cCMV-related hearing loss treated with and without antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E and magnesium, known as ACE-Mg) was completed. The primary end point was the mean change in hearing thresholds for the right and left ears after therapy. An evaluation of the mean change in thresholds was evaluated at the following frequencies: 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, and 4000 Hz. A 2-sample t test and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate the data. Results A total of 78 children with cCMV-related hearing loss were included in the study, of whom 10 were treated with antioxidants. The average amount of time in which antioxidants were taken was 387 days. When comparing cases and controls, there was no differences in the mean change of hearing thresholds at each frequency for both the right and left ears ( P > .05). Length of antioxidant therapy and age at which therapy was initiated had no effect on hearing scores ( P > .05). Conclusions Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of cCMV-related hearing loss. ACE-Mg is a safe adjuvant therapy for the treatment of hearing loss in children; however, this study demonstrates no hearing-related benefit from ACE-Mg antioxidant therapy.