[General pathological aspects of the hair cells damage in spiral organ].

The information concerning general pathological changes in hair cells of the spiral organ is reviewed. The conditions for the onset, morphological picture of dystrophy, necrosis, apoptosis typical for hair cells in respect to structural and functional features of the sensory epithelium of the spiral organ are outlined. Nonspecific morphological changes of the spiral organ neuroepithelium after the action of damaging agents of different origin (such ototoxic drugs as aminoglycoside antibiotics and others, intensive acoustic impacts, ageing of the acoustic analyzer) are emphasized.

[Alternating signal speech audiometry in the diagnosis of central lesions of the acoustic analyzer].

Diagnostic sensitivity was compared for two binaural methods of "sensitized" speech audiometry--alternating speech audiometry (ASA) and Dichotic. A total of 35 patients were examined having neurosensory hypoacusis resultant from cerebrovascular atherosclerosis and chronic insufficiency of cerebral circulation. ASA indicated defects of the central parts of the acoustic analyzer in 80% of the examinees.

[Comparative studies of hearing in children by recording reflex reactions and long-latency auditory evoked potentials].

Hearing thresholds at speech frequencies in children with neurosensory hypoacusis were measured by three methods: orientation reflex (OR), wink reflex (WR) and brain acoustic evoked responses (BERA). Hearing thresholds measured by recording OR and WR were compared in 115 children (232 comparisons) and were found to coincide in about 92% of cases. Hearing thresholds at speech frequencies were measured by recording OR, WR and BERA in 55 children (103 comparisons) and were found to coincide in about 70% of cases.