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Effect of stimulation levels on speech recognition and auditory threshold performance

When programming a Cochlear® device, two measurements are normally assessed. T levels relate to the quietest sound the CI user can hear i.e. thresholds, and C levels are comfortable levels which are tolerable for the CI user. If these levels...

3D-printed temporal bone models - how good can they be?

In the era of increasingly difficult and expensive-to-come-by cadaveric temporal bones with which to practise drilling and learn the complex 3D anatomy of the temporal bone, decent alternatives would be welcome. McMillan et al report a prospective comparison study in...

Satisfaction levels in elderly patients with cochlear implants

Hearing rehabilitation in the elderly is of utmost importance as it is associated with depression and dementia in this age group. Cochlear implantation is indicated for hearing-impaired individuals who do not derive adequate benefit from conventional hearing aids. In this...

Listening effort and speech perception performance

Capturing speech perception performance in noisy listening environments is a key part in validating any hearing instrument. Traditionally audiologists have always measured this performance in noisy environments by looking at thresholds, i.e. speech reception thresholds or signal to noise ratios....

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss – who will get better?

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a rare but potentially devastating condition. For patients presenting with this condition, prognosis is of paramount importance. Wu et al begin to address this issue by retrospectively studying 17 potential prognostic factors for...

Social representation of hearing loss in different countries

The social representation of different phenomena has generated strong interest among researchers recently. The social representation of ‘hearing loss’ is different in different countries such as India, Iran, Portugal, and the UK, as was evidenced in previous research. This study...

Recurrent ENT infections in children – is it a sign of primary immunodeficiency disease?

ENT clinicians often come across children with recurrent ear, sinus and pulmonary infections. These recurrent infections, albeit common in childhood, can represent an early sign of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD). PIDD is an underdiagnosed group of genetic disorders involving absent...

Management of patients with advanced otosclerosis

This paper discusses the management options of advanced otosclerosis. There are several definitions for advanced otosclerosis in the literature but, more recently, the diagnosis of advanced otoscletosis has been reserved for patients who have less than 30% aided speech discrimination...

Importance of the time interval between surgery and postoperative radiation therapy in head and neck cancer

The ideal time to start postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) in head and neck cancer patients has been an issue of debate. In the USA, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends initiating radiotherapy within six weeks from surgery. The six-week...

Is it worth paying for group therapy?

Group therapy for post-stroke communication difficulties has been described in the research literature for more than 50 years and is generally considered an efficacious approach. Yet these authors express concern that the American Medicare system is less willing to fund...

Oral hygiene and its interaction with standard of education on the risk of oral cancer in women

Oral cancer in women has an increasing incidence in China, although the majority of Chinese women don’t smoke or drink alcohol. Poor oral hygiene has been shown in previous studies to be a risk factor in the development of oral...