Long-Term Results of Cochlear Implantation in Single-Sided Deaf Patients: Influence of Duration of Deafness and Age at Onset of Deafness.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of duration, time point, and etiology of deafness on cochlear implant user rates, and to investigate the long-term hearing performance in single-sided deaf patients.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary care hospital.

A Single Intratympanic Triamcinolone Acetonide Administration Elicits Long-Term Reduction in Impedances Following Cochlear Implantation.

Background: Intracochlear fibrosis and inflammation remain important limitations in cochlear implantation (CI). Glucocorticoids are routinely used to ameliorate the inflammatory response following CI. This study investigates the long-term effects of an intratympanically-applied triamcinolone-acetonide suspension on intracochlear impedance changes in CI recipients and investigates differences in drug concentrations and timepoints of injection.

Long-Term Follow-Up After Translabyrinthine IAC Tumor Removal With Simultaneous Cochlear Implantation.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term hearing outcome after translabyrinthine resection of tumors within the internal auditory canal (IAC) with simultaneous cochlear implantation (CI).

Study Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Prestin in Human Perilymph, Cerebrospinal Fluid, and Blood as a Biomarker for Hearing Loss.

Objective: Determining the concentration of prestin in human blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and perilymph (PL), and evaluating its suitability as a clinical biomarker for sensori-neural hearing loss (SNHL).

Study Design: Human blood, CSF, and PL samples were intraoperatively collected from 42 patients with tumors of the internal auditory canal or with intracochlear tumors undergoing translabyrinthine or middle fossa tumor removal. Prestin concentration was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and linear regression analyses were performed to investigate its associations with audiological as well as vestibular test results.

MRI surveillance after translabyrinthine vestibular schwannoma resection and cochlear implantation: is it feasible?

Purpose: Cochlear implantation in patients with vestibular schwannomas is of increasing importance and interest. Two remaining challenges are the assessment of conduction of the cochlear nerve and the possibility of postoperative surveillance with magnetic resonance imaging. The aim of the current study was to assess follow-up imaging and determine the visibility of the internal auditory canal after vestibular schwannoma resection and cochlear implantation as well as in patients with persistent vestibular schwannomas and cochlear implants in place.

Functional Outcome After Simultaneous Vestibular Schwannoma Resection and Cochlear Implantation With Intraoperative Cochlear Nerve Monitoring.

Objective: Electrically evoked auditory brainstem response audiometry has emerged as a suitable option to intraoperatively assess cochlear nerve function during vestibular schwannoma resection. This study aimed to analyze the functional outcome and implant usage of patients with preserved auditory nerve responses after simultaneous translabyrinthine schwannoma resection and cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Prospective study.

The Effect of Pulse Shape and Interphase Gaps on Speech Perception and Perceived Sound Quality in Electrical Hearing.

Background: Stimulation with triphasic pulses has been shown to reduce the occurrence of unwanted facial nerve stimulation (FNS) with cochlear implants (CIs). However, there is little data available on how different pulse shapes affect the hearing outcome with electrical hearing in general. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of different stimulation pulse shapes on speech perception in noise, as well as loudness perception and subjective sound quality.

The Functional Hearing Gain with an Active Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Implant Does Not Correlate with the Subjective Hearing Performance.

The functional hearing outcome with hearing implants does not always properly reflect the subjective benefit in everyday listening situations. In this study, the functional hearing gain and the impact on the subjective hearing ability and quality of life were assessed in patients with a Bonebridge. A chart review was performed on 45 patients with a Bonebridge who were provided with questionnaires regarding the hearing quality and health-related quality of life during their last clinical visit.

Triamcinolone acetonide can be detected in cerebrospinal fluid after intratympanic injection.

Intratympanically applied treatments are of increasing interest to the otologic community to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular disorders but also to deliver gene therapy agents, or biologics to the inner ear. Further diversion from the middle ear and perilymph to blood circulation and cerebrospinal fluid via the cochlear aqueduct are one of the limiting factors and so far not understood well enough. In this study, intratympanically applied triamcinolone acetonide was determined in cerebrospinal fluid.

Robotic Cochlear Implant Surgery: Imaging-Based Evaluation of Feasibility in Clinical Routine.

Robotic surgery has been proposed in various surgical fields to reduce recovery time, scarring, and to improve patients' outcomes. Such innovations are ever-growing and have now reached the field of cochlear implantation. To implement robotic ear surgery in routine, it is of interest if preoperative planning of a safe trajectory to the middle ear is possible with clinically available image data.

Evaluation of Levels of Triamcinolone Acetonide in Human Perilymph and Plasma After Intratympanic Application in Patients Receiving Cochlear Implants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The use of intratympanically applied steroids is of increasing interest. Consequently, research has focused on finding an ideal drug that diffuses through the round window membrane and can be retained in the perilymph.

Objective: To compare levels of triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) in perilymph and plasma after intratympanic injection.

Current management of skull base osteomyelitis.

Purpose Of Review: Skull base osteomyelitis (SBO) is a life-threatening condition. Due to an aging and increasingly multimorbid population, clinicians are more often challenged with this disease. Yet, there is no consensus on the optimal diagnostic and follow-up management.

Titanium and Platinum-Fluoroplastic Stapes Prostheses Visualization on Cone Beam Computed Tomography and High-Resolution Computed Tomography.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether stapes prostheses can be visualized with less metal artifacts and therefore more accurately on cone beam computed tomography in comparison to computed tomography imaging. Recent studies have shown that cone beam computed tomography has advantages when imaging metal artifacts. Patients with hearing loss or vertigo, who have undergone stapedotomy, often present a challenge for otologic surgeons.

The challenging diagnosis and follow-up of skull base osteomyelitis in clinical practice.

Purpose: The disease activity of skull base osteomyelitis can be challenging to assess by means of conventional imaging methods and renders monitoring of the disease difficult, especially in areas with restricted access to nuclear medicine imaging. Here, we provide clinically relevant data on the management of skull base osteomyelitis including assessment, treatment, and follow-up strategies with regards to the role of imaging.

Method: A chart review was performed including 30 patients treated for SBO from 1993 to 2015.

Performance With an Adhesive Bone Conduction Device in Active Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Implant Users.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and limits of an adhesive bone conduction hearing aid in patients implanted with an active transcutaneous bone conduction implant. Therefore, hearing performance and subjective benefit of patients with mixed and conductive hearing loss were assessed with both bone conduction devices.

Study Design And Patients: This cohort study was conducted at a tertiary care center.

Speech Segregation in Active Middle Ear Stimulation: Masking Release With Changing Fundamental Frequency.

Objectives: Temporal fine structure information such as low-frequency sounds including the fundamental frequency (F0) is important to separate different talkers in noisy environments. Speech perception in noise is negatively affected by reduced temporal fine structure resolution in cochlear hearing loss. It has been shown that normal-hearing (NH) people as well as cochlear implant patients with preserved acoustic low-frequency hearing benefit from different F0 between concurrent talkers.

Long-term impact of olfactory dysfunction on daily life.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is common in the general population, affects the quality of life (QoL), and is suspected to cause depression. Long-term outcome data are lacking and there is a need to improve patient counselling regarding prognosis. We aimed to assess subjective long-term recovery rates, the QoL, and mood disturbance in a group of 65 patients, who were affected with OD.

Simultaneous Vestibular Schwannoma Resection and Cochlear Implantation Using Electrically Evoked Auditory Brainstem Response Audiometry for Decision-making.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the predictive value regarding postoperative hearing benefit of electrically evoked auditory brainstem response audiometry in sporadic vestibular schwannoma patients undergoing simultaneous tumor resection and cochlear implantation.

Design: Patients were included in a prospective study conducted between October 2016 and January 2019.

Setting: The study was conducted at a tertiary care center.

Long-term vertigo control after cochlear implantation in patients with end-stage Menière's disease : A retrospective questionnaire-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Menière's disease (MD) is a symptom complex which is characterized by episodes of vertigo, tinnitus and fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, which worsens during the course of the disease.

Objective: Vertigo attacks (MD functional level scale) before compared to after cochlear implantation in patients with end-stage MD.

Design And Patients: In this questionnaire-based cross-sectional study eight patients with end-stage MD, who received a cochlear implant (CI) were analyzed.

Intratympanic Triamcinolone Acetonide as Treatment Option for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Introduction: Corticosteroids represent the most commonly used treatment option for patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In the past, these compounds were mainly formulated and tested for intravenous or oral administration. Intratympanic application is increasingly being used, often as salvage treatment.

A Randomized Cross-over Trial Comparing a Pressure-free, Adhesive to a Conventional Bone Conduction Hearing Device.

Objectives: The main aim of this study was to compare the average daily wearing time of a conventional bone conduction device with a pressure-free, adhesive bone conduction device. Further, audiologic and quality-of-life outcome parameters were evaluated.

Methods: An academic, prospective, randomized cross-over trial was performed at a single center.

Long-Term Outcome of Hearing Rehabilitation With An Active Middle Ear Implant.

Objective: To assess the audiological and long-term medical and technical follow-up outcomes of an active middle ear implant.

Methods: This was a retrospective medical chart analysis of all patients provided with an active middle ear implant in a tertiary academic medical referral center between September 1, 1998, and July 31, 2015. Main outcome measures were medical and technical complications, revisions, reimplantations, explantations, coupling approaches, mean time of use, pre- and postoperative hearing thresholds, functional hearing gain across frequencies (250-4,000 Hz), and Freiburg monosyllablic word test at 65 dB.

Masking release with changing fundamental frequency: Electric acoustic stimulation resembles normal hearing subjects.

It has been shown that patients with electric acoustic stimulation (EAS) perform better in noisy environments than patients with a cochlear implant (CI). One reason for this could be the preserved access to acoustic low-frequency cues including the fundamental frequency (F0). Therefore, our primary aim was to investigate whether users of EAS experience a release from masking with increasing F0 difference between target talker and masking talker.