Efficacy of high dose systemic versus combined (systemic and intratympanic) corticosteroid therapy in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A prospective randomized trial and risk factor analysis.

The pathophysiology and the proper treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) are an ongoing subject of debate. Locally or systemic administered corticosteroids are the most accepted drugs of treatment in reference to ISSNHL (idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss), however, no strong evidence nor guidelines regarding their effectiveness yet exists. In our prospective, randomized, controlled trial 78 participants were enrolled.

Matching the pitch perception of the cochlear implanted ear with the contralateral ear in patients with single-sided deafness: a novel approach.

Purpose: Single-sided deaf patients following cochlear implantation often compare the sound quality of their implanted ear with normal hearing. The interaural differences can result in dissatisfaction with speech comprehension and reduced time of usage of the speech processor; hence, prolonging auditory adaptation time. The proposed calibration method presented in this study demonstrates how the frequency distribution of the cochlear implant can be set to adequately approximate the pitch perception of the contralateral normal hearing ear towards improving speech intelligibility in a noisy environment.

Thymosin beta-4 - A potential tool in healing middle ear lesions in adult mammals.

Acute tympanic membrane perforations primarily occur due to injury or infection in humans. In acute cases, nearly 80-94 % of the perforations heal spontaneously. In chronic cases, non-surgical treatment becomes significantly limited, and the perforation can be restored only by myringoplasty.

Subtotal Petrosectomy and Cochlear Implantation in Children With Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media: A Single Institutional Experience.

Background And Objectives: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) with or without cholesteatoma is a frequent chronic inflammatory condition in children, which may lead to severe hearing loss that affects speech development. Treatment of recurrent CSOM associated with unserviceable hearing requires a specialized approach with regard to disease eradication and hearing rehabilitation. In this study, we investigated the advantages of subtotal petrosectomy (SP) combined with cochlear implantation (CI) in children with CSOM associated with unserviceable hearing and describe our experience with regard to the efficacy of this method, together with a literature review.

The ototoxic effect of locally applied kanamycin and furosemide in guinea pigs.

Background: Hearing impairment is a growing social and economic issue. New technical or biological approaches aiming hearing rehabilitation or regeneration require animal testing. Therefore, a reproducible and safe model for hearing-impaired animals is essential.