Journal Reviews
Should intratympanic steroids be the first line treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss?
This article looked at whether intratympanic steroids (ITS) provide more benefits over systemic steroid therapy (SST) as initial therapy in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL). This meta-analysis study, based on published RCTs, concluded that ITS treatment exhibited...
Hearing provides cues for the maintenance of balance
It is well known that balance relies on the integration of vestibular, visual and proprioceptive cues. However not much mention or attention has been given to the importance of auditory cues for balance maintenance. The authors set up experiments to...
Predicting speech recognition in adults with cochlear implants
This was a combined prospective and retrospective study from Belgium that looked at factors influencing speech recognition scores in quiet conditions (retrospectively) and speech reception threshold levels (SRT) in fixed noise conditions (prospectively) after cochlear implantation in postlingually deaf adults....
Cochlear microphonics in children
Cochlear microphonics (CM) are generated mainly from outer hair cells and are routinely tested in children with hearing loss in some parts of the world. In this retrospective study, the aim was to compare the cochlear microphonics features (mainly CM...
Comparison of linguistic profiles in three groups of children with hearing loss and specific language impairment
Spoken language deficits in children with hearing loss early in life are attributed to auditory speech perception limitations. It is assumed that hearing following cochlear implants (CIs) will improve these language deficits. However, the studies have shown that although cochlear...
Is bone cement a cost-effective solution?
This study looks at the functional results of 52 patients who underwent bone cement ossiculoplasty. Patients were divided into four groups based on ossicular disruption. Group 1 (30 patients) had lenticular erosion only. Group 2 (13 patients) had absent incus....
Supporting second language in bilingual children with cochlear implants
There have been mixed reports regarding the benefits of supporting two languages for bilingual children using cochlear implants. With an ever-increasing number of children with hearing loss undergoing cochlear implantation, this study provides timely clinical evidence. The authors studied the...
Which bone conduction implant (BCI) device to use?
Bone conduction implants (BCI) are alternatives when the use and benefit of conventional, prosthetic equipment is limited or contraindicated in patients who suffer from conductive, mixed and single-sided deafness. They are broadly divided into two main groups delivering vibration directly...
Open hearing-aid fittings or closed
There is always a balance between different types of hearing aids and their advantages and disadvantages that influence choice of device and ultimately user preference. Personal choice also plays a role when deciding on behind the ear or in ear...
What are the non-inflammatory causes of a conductive loss?
This retrospective study looked at patients with an intact tympanic membrane with non-inflammatory causes – i.e. otitis media and cholesteotoma. They document their findings based on exploratory tympanotomy. They operated depending on the findings with either a stapedectomy or a...
Recovery rates in sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is most commonly idiopathic, and is seen relatively frequently in ENT practice. Recovery spans a period of around 1-2 months, and ultimate outcomes are highly variable, from complete recovery to no detectable hearing. Although the...
Does a labyrinthine fistula in cholesteatoma surgery lead to hearing loss?
Thirty-five patients with labyrinthine fistula related to cholesteatoma were studied retrospectively. All patients underwent CT scans and preoperative hearing tests 1-2 weeks prior to surgery (averaged at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 kHz). All 35 patients underwent mastoid surgery,...
