Clinical Performance, Safety, and Patient-Reported Outcomes of an Active Osseointegrated Steady-State Implant System.

Objective: To investigate the clinical performance, safety, and patient-reported outcomes of an active osseointegrated steady-state implant system that uses piezoelectric technology.

Study Design: A prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm, within-subject clinical investigation.

Setting: Three tertiary referral clinical centers located in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

Intraoperative Cochlear Implant Reinsertion Effects Evaluated by Electrode Impedance.

Objectives: To assess the effect on impedance levels of intraoperative reinsertion of a cochlear implant (CI) array compared with matched controls.

Study Design: Retrospective patient review.

Setting: Cochlear implant center.

Neurotrophin gene augmentation by electrotransfer to improve cochlear implant hearing outcomes.

This Review outlines the development of DNA-based therapeutics for treatment of hearing loss, and in particular, considers the potential to utilize the properties of recombinant neurotrophins to improve cochlear auditory (spiral ganglion) neuron survival and repair. This potential to reduce spiral ganglion neuron death and indeed re-grow the auditory nerve fibres has been the subject of considerable pre-clinical evaluation over decades with the view of improving the neural interface with cochlear implants. This provides the context for discussion about the development of a novel means of using cochlear implant electrode arrays for gene electrotransfer.

Bilateral duplication of the internal auditory canals and bilateral cochlear implant outcomes and review.

Objectives: Bilateral duplication of the internal auditory canal (IAC) is rare and is associated with profound sensorineural hearing loss. The present study aims to review our experience with bilateral cochlear implantation (CI) in children with a duplication of the IAC and to review the literature.

Methods: The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre database was searched for children with duplication of the internal auditory canal.

Bilateral auditory ossicular expansions in a child with beta-thalassemia major: Case report and literature review.

Marrow proliferation of the ossicular chain is a rare phenomenon. To date, only two other cases have described this rarity. We report a third paediatric case from Australia.

The Clinical Uses of Electrocochleography.

The clinical uses of electrocochleography are reviewed with some technical notes on the apparatus needed to get clear recordings under different conditions. Electrocochleography can be used to estimate auditory thresholds in difficult to test children and a golf club electrode is described. The same electrode can be used to obtain electrical auditory brainstem responses (EABR).

Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Cochlea Nerve Aplasia and Hypoplasia.

Objective: To assess cochlear implant (CI) outcomes, and factors affecting outcomes, for children with aplasia/ hypoplasia of the cochlea nerve. We also developed a new grading system for the nerves of the internal auditory meatus (IAM) and cochlea nerve classification.

Study Design: Retrospective patient review.

A Comparative Study of Audiologic Outcomes for Two Transcutaneous Bone-Anchored Hearing Devices.

Objective: In 1977, Tjellstrom et al. used the concept of osseointegration and implanted patients with a titanium screw as part of the first bone-anchored hearing solution. Despite good hearing outcomes with the percutaneous device, there has been a drive for the development of transcutaneous bone conduction systems because of soft tissue complications, aesthetics, and loss or failure of the abutment.

CHARGE syndrome and Cochlear implantation: difficulties and outcomes in the paediatric population.

Objectives: CHARGE syndrome is a complex cluster of congenital abnormalities, these children may have absent or hypoplastic auditory nerves. Our objective was to assess preoperative factors and outcomes for paediatric cochlear implant recipients with CHARGE syndrome, to enable better surgical preparation and family counselling.

Methods: The Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre database was searched for children with CHARGE syndrome who had received a cochlear implant at ages 16 and less.

Pediatric cochlear implantation: associated with minimal postoperative pain and dizziness.

Objective: To prospectively document the surgical pain, assessing analgesia use as a proxy, and postoperative dizziness in children over the first week after cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Prospective.

Setting: Tertiary referral hospital and cochlear implant program.

Impedance, neural response telemetry, and speech perception outcomes after reimplantation of cochlear implants in children.

Objective: To compare mean impedance levels, neural response telemetry (NRT), and auditory perception after initial and explant-reimplant pediatric cochlear implants.

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Tertiary referral hospital and cochlear implant program.

Cortical potentials as predictors of outcomes with adult cochlear implant recipients - preliminary findings.

A proportion of adult cochlear implant recipients report an inability to use the signal from their cochlear implant effectively at varying post-operative intervals following cochlear implantation. Some of these recipients report deterioration in their ability to use the implant signal and do not benefit from map optimization. Others never attain the level of outcome that they had expected.

Meningitis resulting in hearing loss and labyrinthitis ossificans - does the causative organism matter?

Our aim was to demonstrate whether one causative agent of meningitis is more likely to cause profound hearing loss and labyrinthitis ossificans. We obtained data from the New South Wales health department for cases of meningitis between 1995 and 2005 (1568 cases) and the Sydney Cochlear Implant Centre for cochlear implant patients with hearing loss secondary to meningitis from 1984 to 2005 (70 ears in 59 patients). The aetiological agents were compared with regard to their ability to cause profound hearing loss and cochlear ossification.

Evidence for surviving outer hair cell function in congenitally deaf ears.

Objectives/hypothesis: The hypotheses of the study were that congenital hearing impairment in infants can result from the isolated loss of inner hair cells of the cochlea and that this is shown by the presence of abnormal positive summating potentials on round window electrocochleography. The objectives were to establish the proportion of infants with hearing loss affected, the nature of the cochlear lesion, and its etiology. And to highlight the important implications for otoacoustic emissions testing and universal neonatal screening.