Does Asymmetric Hearing Loss Affect the Ability to Understand in Noisy Environments?

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether, in asymmetric hearing loss, the presence of an ear with a better or worse hearing threshold is related to either better or worse speech-in-noise (SiN) intelligibility.

Materials And Methods: A total of 618 subjects with different degrees of hearing loss were evaluated for their ability to understand SiN. A stepwise forward logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that affect performance.

Normative data for static balance testing in healthy individuals using open source computerized posturography.

Purpose: Computerized posturography is the gold standard for balance assessment. Because of the great cost and dimensions of commercial equipments, low-cost and portable devices have been developed and validated, such as RombergLab, a software in open source term which works connected with a low-cost force platform. The objective of this study was to obtain normative posturography data using this software.

Control of vertigo after intratympanic corticoid therapy for unilateral Ménière's disease: a comparison of weekly versus daily fixed protocols.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of intratympanic corticoid therapy on vertigo control and hearing changes.

Study Design: The study design was retrospective.

Setting: Tertiary medical centers.

Time course of episodes of definitive vertigo in Meniere's disease.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency and duration of episodes of definitive vertigo in Ménière's disease.

Design: Prospective longitudinal study.

Setting: Multiple tertiary referral centers.

[Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the horizontal canal: A multicenter study].

Objective: BPPV localized in the horizontal semicircular canal is an infrequent entity. Nowadays there are controversies about the different treatments available. The objective of this study is to present our results.

[Infantile facial paralysis: diagnostic and therapeutic features].

This paper deals with a series of 11 cases of peripheral unilateral facial paralyses affecting children under 15 years. Following parameters are reviewed: age, sex, side immobilized, origin, morbid antecedents, clinical and neurophysiological explorations (electroneurography through magnetic stimulation) and the evolutive course of the cases. These items are assembled in 3 sketches in the article.

[The blink reflex in the electrophysiologic exploration of Bell's palsy and its prognostic value].

Conventional electrophysiology of the facial nerve gives only information about the functional condition of its extracranial segment. The blink-reflex triggered for the electric stimulation of supraorbital nerve allows the study of the whole nerve path, even the intraosteal, where the great majority of its pathology settles. We have realized this tests in 43 Bell's palsy cases (at the beginning of the paralysis and three weeks later) and correlated the results with the clinic course, in order to set up the pronostic value of the procedure.

[Progression of profound perceptive deafness in children].

We have studied 340 cases of deep neurisensorial deafness in children and their evolution along a 7.2 years term. Conventional audiometry has been used as commonest method for assessing the auditive function.

[Tobacco addiction and current treatment methods].

Smoking currently is considered to be an addiction with severe medical and social effects. It has been implicated in some respiratory and extra-respiratory diseases. In spite of knowing its dangerous effects, many patients cannot stop smoking without outside help.

[Acinar cell carcinoma of submaxillary gland].

Although acine cell neoplasms have for a long time been regarded as benign tumors, they are presently considered to represent the carcinomas. These rare tumors mainly affect the parotid glands, and only exceptionally involve other salivary glands. Clinically, acic cell carcinoma present as isolated tumors simulating a pleomorphic adenoma.

[Secretory middle ear otitis with severe sensorineural deafness].

Secretory middle ear otitis is of difficult assessment in children with severe hearing impairment. This otitis, very frequent in infants and children, influences negatively the auditive capacity and apprenticeship as well. Our study deals with the prevalence and severity of the secretive middle ear otitis in an scholar population handicapped by a heavy hypoacusia.

[Painful shoulder syndrome with drooping after cervical lymphatic dissection].

A study was made of 12 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent surgical neck dissection in 1993 to evaluate quantitatively the degree of postoperative shoulder dysfunction after surgical neck dissection. Nerve conduction studies were made of the accessory nerve and the range of motion, strength and position of the shoulder were evaluated. Patients were invited to complete a questionnaire about daily living activities, shoulder pain, shoulder movement and shoulder droop.

[Computerized tomography in the detection of metastatic cervical lymph nodes].

The accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in detecting cervical lymph node metastases was studied. Twenty patients with squamous carcinoma of the head and neck were selected. The results obtained by cervical palpation, CT and postoperative histological study were compared.

Hypoglossal nerve conduction study by transcranial magnetic stimulation in normal subjects.

The introduction of transcranial magnetic stimulation has allowed the study of conduction in the proximal portions and central pathways of the cranial nerves. A study is made of cranial nerve XII with transcranial magnetic stimulation at two levels, cortical and cisternal, registering the motor evoked potential by means of surface electrodes in contact with the upper face of the tongue. Motor evoked potentials were constantly observed on cortical stimulation, in a painless, easy, and reproducible way, with mean values of 10.

[Oncogenic activity of head and neck tumors].

Some types of malignant neoplasms are consequence of genetic changes. The starting of oncogenesis begins when some genetic alterations arises, or the genome acquires some peculiar and pathological traits owing to the action of physical, chemical or viral agents. These alterations set in motion an activatory phenomenon upon the proto-oncogene which is turned into an oncogene.

Immotile cilia syndrome: nasal mucociliary function and nasal ciliary abnormalities.

We present 17 patients with a typical symptomatology of immotile cilia syndrome, seven of them with complete situs inversus. Firstly, a study of the nasal mucociliary transport was made by means of the radioisotopic technique with serum albumin-Tc99m. In all cases there was absence of transport.

[Assessment of vertebrobasilar insufficiency using magnetic resonance angiography].

We present the protocol for diagnosis of VBI followed by ENT and Radiology Departments of the Valencia University General Hospital, using the 2D-PC magnetic resonance angiography technique (MRA) with variable VENC (30 and 40 cm/s) with a SIGMA 1.5 T Advantage system version 5 x with the corresponding software review 5.2 (General Electric Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI, USA).

[The histological study of adenopathies in laryngeal cancer with supraglottic localization].

A histopathologic study was made to establish the prognostic importance of lymph node involvement in operable supraglottic laryngeal carcinoma. A total of 51 cancer patients underwent supraglottic horizontal laryngectomy with bilateral cervical dissection. The number of adenopathies the presence of capsule rupture and type of corresponding infiltration were significantly related to survival (p < 0.

Superior laryngeal nerve evoked potentials: an experimental study in the rabbit.

An experimental model is described for recording laryngeal evoked potentials at the brainstem level through electrical stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve. Rabbits were divided into two groups according to age: Group 1 consisted of 20 adults (over 6 months old), while group 2 was comprised of 1-month-old rabbits. Under general anesthesia, the superior laryngeal nerve was electrically stimulated and the corresponding evoked potentials were recorded by needle electrodes placed close to the dorsal and ventral aspects of the brain stem.

[The effect of visual feedback exercises on balance in normal subjects].

The effects of visual feedback exercises on balance was studied in normal individuals, to evaluate the efficacy of visual feedback of postural oscillation in improving stability. A DINAS-CAN dynamometric platform designed by the Valencian Institute of Biomechanics (IBv) was used. Before to commencing training sessions, we determined the following parameters in each individual: (a) static stability, via posturography; and (b) individual ability to displace and voluntarily maintain the center of gravity within the limits of stability.

Laryngeal mucociliary transport: normal values and under the influence of anesthetics. An experimental study in rabbits.

The larynx is the point of confluence of all tracheobronchial secretions and of the particles trapped within them. A study is made of laryngeal mucociliary transport using charcoal particles in 8 anesthetized rabbits and in 8 more during the immediate postmortem period. Most secretions were found to reach the posterior commissure, and were then swallowed.

[The protocol for the vestibulospinal system study by means of a dynamometric platform. Patterns of normalcy].

The Posturography, the recording of the postural balance in standing position, allows the assessment of the vestibulospinal function, through the shifts of the pressure center. In this paper are expressed the results gained with this static posturographic protocol followed at our Department, using a dynamometric platform DINASCAN (Institute of Biomechanics, Valencia, IBv) in 63 normal people. Four parameters (i.

[Fine-needle puncture-aspiration in the measurement of the DNA content by flow cytometry in head and neck tumors. Methodology and applications].

Fine needle aspiration was used to obtain samples from 15 patients with head and neck tumors for posterior analysis of their DNA content by flow cytometry. This technique afforded rapid and readily reproducible high quality histograms. A review was made of the malignancy criteria according to variations in DNA content.

[Verifiable diagnosis of the puncture of the fine needle aspiration in head and neck neoplasms].

We have studied 103 fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies as diagnostic technique on patients with head and neck tumours: 55 FNA on thyroid gland, 35 in cervical lymph nodes and 13 on salivary glands. The results obtained by PAAF were coincident in 90.8% of the cases with histology and clinical evolution of the patient.