Factors associated with nonword repetition skills in 4-to 6-year-old deaf and hard-of-hearing and typically hearing children.

Children identified as deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) exhibit an increased risk of speech and language difficulties. Nonword repetition (NWR) is a potential tool for identifying language difficulties in children with limited experience with the target language. In this study, we explored associations between auditory, linguistic, demographic and cognitive factors and NWR performance in DHH children and their typically hearing (TH) peers.

Spoken Language Skills in Children With Bilateral Hearing Aids or Bilateral Cochlear Implants at the Age of Three Years.

Objectives: Early hearing aid (HA) fitting and cochlear implants (CIs) aim to reduce the effects of hearing loss (HL) on spoken language development. The goals of this study were (1) to examine spoken language skills of children with bilateral HAs and children with bilateral CIs; (2) to compare their language skills to the age-norms of peers with normal hearing (NH); and (3) to investigate factors associated with spoken language outcomes.

Design: Spoken language results of 56 Finnish children with HL were obtained from a nationwide prospective multicenter study.

Continuous positive airway pressure treatment may negatively affect auditory maturation in preterm infants.

Aim: Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices generate loud noise, which might harm auditory function and maturation. The function of auditory pathways can be examined by using brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) and brainstem audiometry (BA) recordings. Our objective was to study whether CPAP treatment during the neonatal period is associated with abnormalities in BAEP and BA recordings.

Neonatal brainstem auditory function associates with early receptive language development in preterm children.

Aim: To study whether auditory function measured with brainstem auditory evoked potential and brainstem audiometry recordings in the neonatal period associates with language development 1 year later in preterm infants.

Methods: This retrospective study included 155 preterm infants (birthweight ≤1500 g and/or birth ≤32 gestational weeks) born between 2007 and 2012 at the Turku University Hospital. Auditory function was recorded in neonatal period.

Dislocation of cochlear implant magnet as a complication following MRI.

According to current best knowledge, an MRI scan can be performed for patients with cochlear implants. The warnings and recommendations of the implant manufacturers must be followed strictly to prevent complications, such as overheating, migration or demagnetization of the magnet in the implant. We report on a case of cochlear implant magnet dislocation as a complication for an MRI scan.

Electric field-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation for chronic tinnitus: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Objective: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may alleviate tinnitus. We evaluated effects of electric field (E-field) navigated rTMS targeted according to tinnitus pitch. No controlled studies have investigated anatomically accurate E-field-rTMS for tinnitus.

Electric field navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation for chronic tinnitus: A pilot study.

Objective: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has shown potential in reducing tinnitus symptoms. We evaluated effects of electric field (E-field) navigated rTMS targeted neuroanatomically according to tinnitus pitch.

Design: In this open methodological pilot study, the patients received E-field navigated 1-Hz rTMS in daily treatment sessions to the left superior temporal gyrus, targeted according to tonotopic representation of their individual tinnitus pitch.

[Screening for hearing loss in newborns at Turku University Central Hospital].

Background: Since 2005 all newborns at Turku University Central Hospital, Finland have been screened for hearing loss with two-stage procedure (otoacoustic emission and automated auditory brainstem response).

Methods: We reviewed medical records of all newborns screened for hearing loss in 2006-2008. Costs of the screening were estimated.

[What's new in auditory rehabilitation?].

The availability of auditory rehabilitation has significantly improved with the current legislation. Rehabilitation options have developed with advanced hearing aid technology. With the aging population, the number of persons using a hearing aid is increasing.

Relationship between self-reported hearing and measured hearing impairment in an elderly population in Finland.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the Finnish version of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Elderly Screening (HHIE-S) questionnaire and a simple single-question method in detecting hearing loss.

Design: We compared the HHIE-S score and the single question with audiometry results. By analysing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the HHIE-S scores we estimated the appropriate cut-off points for the different degrees of hearing loss.

Alexithymia, depression and tinnitus in elderly people.

Objective: Tinnitus is known to have an association with depression and other psychiatric disorders. As part of a larger epidemiological survey, we evaluated the associations among tinnitus, depression and alexithymia in a group of elderly people.

Methods: A survey of hearing loss, audiological rehabilitation and associated morbidity in a senior population was conducted in Turku, Finland.