Objectives: The Inuit of Greenland, Canada and Alaska suffer from chronic otitis media (COM). In Greenland these patients used to be referred to Denmark for ear surgery. This was expensive and unsatisfactory, and the results were poor. A mobile ear surgery project was developed.
Design: The study is longitudinal and prospective with follow-up.
Subjects And Methods: The 274 patients were selected according to severity of COM and hearing loss. Only air conduction (AC) audiometry was obtained. Median age was 27 years and 55% were females.
Results: Closure rates at three weeks, one year, and two years were 67 percent, 72 percent, and 76 percent, respectively. Median AC pure tone average improvement was 15 dB and 12 dB after one year and two years, and 73 percent and 67 percent were satisfied. Outcome was associated with quality of the surgical skills (P < 0.002). We found marked spontaneous fluctuations between the follow-ups.
Conclusion: The results of mobile ear surgery in Greenland are acceptable. Mobile ear surgery may be implemented in areas with limited access to health care, eg, in developing countries.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.otohns.2008.03.014 | DOI Listing |
Otol Neurotol
January 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of adding "rapid decelerations" and "vibrations" during a SemontPLUS maneuver on the dynamics of the inner ear and the success rate of canalolithiasis repositioning.
Methods: We used a previously described upscaled (5×) in vitro model of the posterior semicircular canal of the inner ear to analyze the trajectory of a single and clumped surrogate otolith particle (metallic sphere) during a SemontPLUS maneuver (-60 degrees below earth horizontal) on a repositioning chair (TRV). We compared the angular displacement of these particles with and without the application of "vibrations" or "rapid decelerations" using TRV.
Int J Audiol
January 2025
Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Objectives: This longitudinal experimental study aimed to profile audiometric hearing loss, explore the feasibility and efficacy of low-cost hearing devices, and examine their social and emotional impact on participants in South Sudan, a low-resource humanitarian setting.
Design: We performed pure tone hearing screenings on adults with self-reported hearing disability, randomly providing eligible participants with one of two inexpensive devices-Asana Pro 800, a non-customizable hearing device fit unilaterally, or the Super Ear SE9000, a hand-held amplifier with headphones given one per individual.
Study Sample: Between October 2022 and January 2023, 142 adults underwent hearing screening at the Juba Teaching Hospital ENT clinic, of whom 19 eligible individuals were provided with hearing devices.
Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Objective: To develop a proof-of-concept smart-phone-based eye-tracking algorithm to assess non-pathologic optokinetic (OKN) nystagmus in healthy participants. Current videonystagmography (VNG) is typically restricted to in-office use, and advances in portable vestibular diagnostics would yield immense public health benefits.
Study Design: Prospective cohort study.
Front Public Health
January 2025
Party Committee Office, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
Background: This study aimed to investigate and analyze the current status of oral disease treatment among the older adult in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, while also assessing the continuing medical education (CME) needs of dental institution personnel regarding oral diseases in this population.
Methods: Convenience sampling was used to investigate the oral disease treatment among older adults and to assess CME needs of dental institution personnel regarding oral diseases in this population across various oral medical and health institutions in Guangxi.
Results: A total of 754 valid questionnaires were collected, of which 70.
Niger Med J
January 2025
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dares Salaam, Tanzania.
Background: Pregnancy leads to physiological changes primarily driven by hormones like oestrogen and progesterone. Such changes are multi-systemic in nature including involvement of the ear, nose and throat. Such changes impair the quality of the life of pregnant women and thus requires prompt intervention during pregnancy.
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