Otology & Neurotology

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of surgical repair of temporal bone encephalocele and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak using fibrin glue-coated collagen (FGCC) complex patch versus other materials for repair of dura. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-two adult patients undergoing transmastoid (TM), middle fossa (MF) or combined approach repair of spontaneous MF CSF leak between 2016 and 2020...

OBJECTIVES: Tubomanometry (TMM), described initially by Estève, is a relatively new manometric method for testing the eustachian tube function (ETF). This study presents the analysis of the measurement of ETF of healthy children by TMM, which has, to date, not been properly evaluated. The objectives of the study were to establish normative data for TMM and to demonstrate TMM as a reliable and valid method for measuring ETF in children. DESIGN: The evaluation, after initial power analysis, comprised 35 children from 6 to 15 years of age with an intact tympanic membrane, no severe ET dysfunction, and less than three inflammations of the middle ear in their medical history...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the physical properties upon immersion of two gelatin sponges commonly used in otologic surgery. BACKGROUND: Absorbable gelatin sponges are often used in middle ear surgery to achieve hemostasis and, perhaps more importantly, to provide a "scaffolding" to support ossicular chain and/or tympanic membrane reconstructions. Their rate of dissolution may therefore affect the success of tympanic membrane closure. METHODS: An in vitro study was conducted to quantify the material changes of two absorbable gelatin sponges, a standard-density sponge and one with fewer collagen cross-linkages (low-density sponge)...

OBJECTIVE: To test a method to measure the efficacy of active middle ear implants when coupled to the round window. METHODS: Data previously published in Koka et al. (Hear Res 2010;263:128-137) were used in this study. Simultaneous measurements of cochlear microphonics (CM) and stapes velocity in response to both acoustic stimulation (forward direction) and round window (RW) stimulation (reverse direction) with an active middle ear implant (AMEI) were made in seven ears in five chinchillas...

OBJECTIVE: To (i) demonstrate the utility of geographically weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) in describing geographical patterns of adult cochlear implant (CI) incidence in relation to sociodemographic factors in a publicly funded healthcare system, and (ii) compare Poisson regression and GWPR to fit the aforementioned relationship. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of provincial CI Program database. SETTING: Academic hospital. PATIENTS: Adults 18 years or older who received a CI from 2020 to 2021...

OBJECTIVE: Many but not all patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) have pulsatile tinnitus (PT). However, little is known about why some patients with IIH develop PT and others do not. The purpose of this study was to determine if any of the classic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detectable markers of IIH differ between patients with and without PT, thereby shedding light on potential pathophysiology. METHODS: A retrospective age-matched cohort study of patients with documented IIH (diagnosed by neuro-ophthalmologist) was performed...

OBJECTIVE: Music is a very crucial art form that can evoke emotions, and the harmonious presence of the human voice in music is an impactful part of this process. As a result, vocals have had some significant effects on contemporary music. The mechanism behind the cochlear implant (CI) recipients perceiving different aspects of music is clear; however, how well they perceive vocal tuning within music it is not well known. Hence, this study evaluated the mistuning perception of CI recipients and compared their performance with normal-hearing (NH) listeners...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the long-term prognosis and risk factors associated with tinnitus and aural fullness, which occurred with sudden sensorineural hearing loss. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Those who visited our clinic for sudden hearing loss from January 2016 to May 2020, diagnosed with sudden sensorineural hearing loss based on pure-tone audiometry, and underwent magnetic resonance imaging to rule out other cause of hearing loss...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

HYPOTHESIS: The objective of this study was to perform detailed height and cross-sectional area measurements of the scala tympani in histologic sections of nondiseased human temporal bones and correlate them with cochlear implant electrode dimensions. BACKGROUND: Previous investigations in scala tympani dimensions have used microcomputed tomography or casting modalities, which cannot be correlated directly with microanatomy visible on histologic specimens. METHODS: Three-dimensional reconstructions of 10 archival human temporal bone specimens with no history of middle or inner ear disease were generated using hematoxylin and eosin histopathologic slides...

OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to analyze the speech perception outcomes of patients with cochlear implants 65 years and older, compared with those younger than 65 years. The secondary aim was to analyze if preoperative hearing levels, severe compared with profound, had an effect on speech perception outcomes in senior citizens. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review of 785 patients, between 2009 and 2016. SETTING: A large cochlear implant program...

OBJECTIVE: To determine temperature and duration of cooling necessary for achieving cochlear mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) via ear canal cooling using cool water and earmold attached to a Peltier device. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Human temporal bone lab study performed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. INTERVENTIONS: Cochlear cooling via the ear canal using water irrigation and an earmold attached to a Peltier device. Temperature analysis through implanted thermal probes within the cochlea...

HYPOTHESIS: Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), in conjunction with the image fusion technique, may provide similar results for trauma assessment after cochlear implantation, with respect to the trauma evaluation in preclinical cochlear implant (CI) studies, as the histology. BACKGROUND: Before clinical use, novel cochlear implant (CI) designs are tested in temporal bone (TB) studies for usability and risk evaluation. The criterion standard for evaluating intracochlear insertion trauma and electrode location has historically been with histological samples...

OBJECTIVE: Compare incidence of sigmoid sinus wall abnormalities (SSWAs) and other radiographic abnormalities in patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT) versus controls. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case-control. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Adults with PT and high-resolution computed tomography imaging were compared with adults undergoing cochlear implant workup including high-resolution computed tomography imaging...

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case series of patients with stapedial myoclonus (SM) whose conditions improved after prophylactic migraine treatment. PATIENTS: We present seven cases of SM reported from a tertiary care neurotology clinic. All seven patients reported SM triggers similar to those of migraine headaches and suffered from concomitant headaches and/or vertigo, and were thus treated with a standard migraine protocol used at this neurotology clinic. INTERVENTION: Prophylactic migraine treatment...

OBJECTIVE: To determine if metal reduction magnetic resonance imaging sequences and changes in implant placement minimize artifact from cochlear implants and improve visualization of intracranial structures. STUDY DESIGN: Cadaveric study. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Five cadaveric heads. INTERVENTIONS: Specimens were implanted with Advanced Bionics HiRes Ultra3D devices at nasion-external auditory canal angles of 90, 120, and 160 degrees, and distances from the external auditory canal of 9 or 12 cm...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic yield of targeted next-generation sequencing using hearing loss panels and to identify patient-related factors that are associated with a definite genetic cause. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: Children with congenital or late-onset, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. INTERVENTIONS: Diagnostic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of patients with a definite genetic diagnosis...

OBJECTIVES: Numerous preclinical experiments over the past years have shown the potential of novel therapeutic approaches for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) that are now awaiting clinical translation. In this pilot study, we aimed to evaluate the patient acceptance of these future innovative therapies in individuals with SNHL. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional exploratory pilot study. SETTING: Tertiary care academic hospital. PATIENTS: In total, 72 individuals (43 female and 29 male, 59 affected subjects and 13 parents) with different types of SNHL were surveyed between May 2020 and November 2020...

HYPOTHESIS: Na+, K+-ATPase (Na/K-ATPase) α1 subunit expression in the saccule of patients diagnosed with otologic disease is different compared with normal controls. BACKGROUND: We have recently characterized changes in the expression of Na/K-ATPase α1 subunit in the normal and pathological cochlea; however, no studies have determined the distribution Na/K-ATPase α1 subunit in the human saccule. The present study uses archival temporal bones to study the expression Na/K-ATPase α1 subunit in the human saccule...