The aim of the study was to investigate and follow up the tonotopic organization of the primary auditory cortex in otosclerotic patients before and after corrective surgery. The characteristics of primary auditory cortex activation were studied in ten otosclerotic patients (i.e., subjects suffering from a conductive hearing loss, prior to and following stapes substitution). Magnetoencephalographic recordings of auditory evoked fields by tone-burst stimulation at octave frequencies between 250 and 2000 Hz were performed during monaural stimulation. The brain topography of the main cortical response (N100m) generators at different tones was studied in patients and compared with ten healthy controls; pre- post-surgical changes were also correlated to their clinical outcome following corrective surgery. A significant decrease of the tonotopic extension in the cortical region responsive to the four explored frequencies was found in patients before surgery with respect to the control population. At the time of postsurgical follow-up, the tonotopic representation had enlarged and was approaching the dimensions seen in normal subjects, although with higher variability. The extent of the enlargement of the postoperative tonotopically organized area was directly correlated with the postsurgery period duration. Our findings indicate that auditory cortical areas of human adults undergo functional reorganization following peripheral alteration of the sensory input entering the CNS. The restriction of the cortical tonotopic region caused by the long-term reduction of acoustic input is followed by a reorganization within the usual boundaries following the recovery of auditory function; this process is taking place in a time scale of a few weeks.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-0193(200005)10:1<28::aid-hbm40>3.0.co;2-g | DOI Listing |
Audiol Neurootol
December 2024
Department of Surgical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Introduction: Otosclerosis is a bone disorder affecting the labyrinthine capsule that leads to conductive and occasionally sensorineural hearing loss. The etiology of otosclerosis remains unknown; factors such as infection, hormones, inflammation, genetics, and autoimmunity have been discussed. Treatment consists primarily of surgical stapes replacement and cochlear implantation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Arch Otorhinolaryngol
August 2024
ENT Department, Fattouma Bourguiba Hospital of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia.
Background: Otosclerosis is a primary osteodystrophy of the otic capsule that causes stapedo-vestibular ankylosis. Its diagnosis is suspected on the basis of clinical and audiometric elements, basically in the presence of conductive hearing loss with a normal eardrum. The CT-scan is an essential examination for the preoperative evaluation of otosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Otorhinolaryngol Ital
April 2024
Department of Otolaryngology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
Objective: The involvement of the inner ear in otosclerosis may lead to the development of cochlear otosclerosis. The aim of this study was to analyse changes in the chemical composition and microstructure of the stapes in the course of otosclerosis compared to healthy stapes.
Materials And Methods: This analysis included 31 patients with otosclerosis and 9 patients without otosclerosis.
Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol
April 2024
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Objective: To investigate the role and distribution of various molecular markers using immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence to further elucidate and understand the pathogenesis of otosclerosis.
Methods: Archival celloidin formalin-fixed 20-micron thick histologic sections from 7 patients diagnosed with otosclerosis were studied and compared to controls. Sections in the mid-modiolar region were immunoreacted with rabbit polyclonal antibodies against nidogen-1, β2-laminin, collagen-IX, BSP, and monoclonal antibodies against TGF β-1 and ubiquitin.
Otol Neurotol
December 2023
Division of Otology, Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability of temporal bone density measurements for diagnosing otosclerosis.
Materials And Methods: A retrospective case-control study is presented. Bone density was measured in Hounsfield units (HUs) by using high-resolution computed tomography in eight regions of interest (ROI) where otosclerotic foci are usually localized.
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