Neuroplasticity following deafness has been widely demonstrated in both humans and animals, but the anatomical substrate of these changes is not yet clear in human brain. However, it is of high importance since hearing loss is a growing problem due to aging population. Moreover, knowing these brain changes could help to understand some disappointing results with cochlear implant, and therefore could improve hearing rehabilitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAuditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) refers to a range of hearing impairments characterized by deteriorated speech perception, despite relatively preserved pure-tone detection thresholds. Affected individuals usually present with abnormal auditory brainstem responses (ABRs), but normal otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). These electrophysiological characteristics have led to the hypothesis that ANSD may be caused by various dysfunctions at the cochlear inner hair cell (IHC) and spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) levels, while the activity of outer hair cells (OHCs) is preserved, resulting in discrepancies between pure-tone and speech comprehension thresholds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: After 20 years of experience with different types of middle ear implants, we analyzed our database about the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) to know the rate of complications, the effect on the residual hearing and the audiometric gain in our center.
Method: The study was retrospective and included all VSB implants bound to the long process of the incus in our tertiary medical center between january 1999 and february 2015. We observed the effect of surgery on residual hearing by comparing bone and air conduction thresholds before and after implantation.