The value of TORCH screening in children with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss

We aimed to ascertain the effectiveness of TORCH (toxoplasma, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex) investigation in children with profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). Review of TORCH laboratory results in 2011 from 168 patients who had cochlear implants between 2006 and 2010 at King Abdul-Aziz University hospital Riyadh was conducted. Of the 168 patients, 102 had TORCH laboratory results. Nine were positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgM antibody (8.8%), two were positive for herpes simplex virus (HSV) IgM antibody (1.96%), and one was positive for rubella IgG (0.9%). No patient showed positive results for toxoplasma or syphilis. The mean age at which the request was made was 5.89 years. All 102 patients who had TORCH laboratory results were above the age of 2 years, and all the patients had bilateral profound SNHL. The nine patients who were positive for CMV were above 1 year old, and it was thus difficult to differentiate between congenital and acquired CMV infection; however, acquired CMV is unlikely to cause a neurodevelopmental disability.