HIGH-FREQUENCY MONITORING FOR EARLY DETECTION OF CISPLATIN OTOTOXICITY

Cisplatin can cause irreversible hearing loss initially detectable as impairment of high-frequency hearing with progression to lower frequen cies. Many patients receiving cisplatin are too ill to tolerate length y audiometric testing. Therefore, a rapid and sensitive high-frequency monitoring strategy to detect cisplatin-induced ototoxicity is needed . Serial conventional (0.25 to 8 kHz) and high-frequency (greater-than -or-equal-to 8 kHz) threshold monitoring was performed in patients rec eiving cisplatin, resulting in 84% of ears showing hearing loss, of wh ich 71% were detected first in frequencies of 8 kHz or greater. By ana lysis according to an individualized, specific high-frequency range, e arly identification of hearing loss occurred in 94% of ears showing ch ange. This five-frequency procedure is a sensitive detector of ototoxi city and is proposed as an alternative monitoring protocol for patient s receiving cisplatin who cannot tolerate extended testing.