Impact of genotype and mutation type on health-related quality of life in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Conclusions: Patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia genotype ALK-1 (HHT2-ALK-1) with nonsense mutation demonstrated tendentially higher health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) scores than patients with HHT with genotype ENG (HHT1-ENG) with missense mutation.

Objective: HHT, also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, comprises different expressions depending on genetic type and mutation type. The influence of HHT type on HR-QOL has not been established and is addressed in this paper.

Impact of gender, age, and comorbidities on quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Statement Of The Problem: To evaluate the impact of gender, age and comorbidities of health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) assessments in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

Methods: The prospective administration of the German Adapted Version of the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT-20 GAV) to patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Two hundred and two patients with chronic rhinosinusitis filled out the questionnaire before functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and again at the 3-month follow-up.

In vitro model for intraoperative adjustments in an implantable hearing aid (MET).

Objective: Assessment of the optimal static preloading of Otologics Middle Ear Transducer (MET) Ossicular Stimulator, when coupled to the incus.

Background: The MET Ossicular Stimulator is a partially implantable electromagnetic middle ear hearing device that transmits vibrations to the ossicular chain. The vibration patterns were measured with laser-Doppler vibrometry.

Benefit from tonsillectomy in adult patients with chronic tonsillitis.

The objective of this study was to determine the benefits of tonsillectomy in adult patients with chronic tonsillitis with special emphasis on the influence of age and gender. Cross-sectional survey analysis of patients at least 1 year after undergoing adult tonsillectomy at a university department. We used the Glasgow Benefit Inventory and a specifically constructed illness inventory (Specific Benefits from Tonsillectomy Inventory).

Quality of life after unilateral acoustic neuroma surgery via middle cranial fossa approach.

Conclusions: Patients with acoustic neuroma experienced reduced quality of life (QOL) after surgery. Individual factors did not have a significant effect on QOL. In the future, QOL should be a basic factor in the outcome evaluation of different therapeutic regimens in the treatment of acoustic neuroma.

Safe and reliable sound threshold measures with direct vibration of the ossicular chain.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of piezoelectric malleus vibration audiometer (MVA), which presents micromechanical vibrations to the umbo membranae tympani.

Study Design: Phase I study performed in a tertiary referral center (University Hospital).

Methods: The coupling rod of the MVA was moved slowly through the outer ear canal toward the eardrum with a micromanipulator.

Cognitive tinnitus sensitization: behavioral and neurophysiological aspects of tinnitus centralization.

Objective: Acquired centralized tinnitus (ACT) is the most frequent type of chronic tinnitus. We introduce a cognitive neurophysiological ACT hypothesis based on centralized cognitive sensitization processes.

Material And Methods: Published cognitive sensitization processes were reviewed using PubMed.

Phase III results with a totally implantable piezoelectric middle ear implant: speech audiometry, spatial hearing and psychosocial adjustment.

Objective: To evaluate the treatment efficacy of an electromechanical middle ear amplifier implant (AI) in patients with chronic moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). The AI is a piezoelectric system with a sound processor and a rechargeable battery within a hermetically sealed titanium canister. Its titanium-sealed microphone is placed in the bony region of the ear canal.