Otology & Neurotology

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to investigate the influence of the anatomy-based fitting (ABF) in cochlear implants (CI) on the perception of specific musical features. DESIGN: The Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA) test battery was performed with a collective of 16 CI users with and without an anatomy-based fitting and 9 normal hearing subjects. The insertion angles of the intracochlear electrode arrays were calculated using Otoplan® (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria) software...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Describe a single institution's cochlear implant outcomes for patients with inner ear schwannomas (IES) in the setting of various tumor management strategies (observation, surgical resection, or stereotactic radiosurgery [SRS]). STUDY DESIGN: Single-institution retrospective review. PATIENTS: Patients diagnosed with isolated, sporadic IES who underwent cochlear implantation (CI). INTERVENTIONS: CI with or without IES treatment...

OBJECTIVE: Patients with concomitant limited English proficiency (LEP) and hearing loss may experience communication barriers, not fully mitigated by traditional interpreter services. Although there is no clear consensus on the most reliable and optimal resources for these patients, speech-to-text (STT) applications with translation capability may bridge these barriers. We review the existing literature applying STT translation programs in clinical settings and identify commercially available STT translation resources to evaluate their prospective application in the otology setting...

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the literature and understand the behavior, diagnosis, management, and mortality of metastasis to the external auditory canal (EAC). DATABASES REVIEWED: PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science. METHODS: Studies from 1948 to June 2023 describing metastasis to the EAC were included. Non-English literature was excluded. Data extraction: Study design, age, sex, pathology, primary site, staging, additional sites of metastasis, time to EAC metastasis from diagnosis, time from diagnosis of EAC metastasis to death, symptoms, exam and imaging findings, and management...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a nonabsorbable, synthetic graft for the reconstruction of spontaneous middle fossa (sMF) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks. PATIENTS: Six adult patients (age ≥16 yr) who had sMF CSF leaks surgically repaired within an 18-month period at a single university hospital using synthetic, nonbiological, nonabsorbable graft (Neuro-Patch) and a retrospective control group of five patients undergoing multilayer MF repair with autologous grafts...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

HYPOTHESIS: Acoustic localization accuracy metrics currently employed in clinical literature both overestimate and underestimate performance benefit of cochlear implantation (CI) for single-sided deafness (SSD). BACKGROUND: Although localization in SSD with CI has been investigated, performance characterization has relied heavily on average error. Although attractively concise, this measure may misrepresent performance. Here, we characterize frequency-specific localization on a granular level in subjects with CI for SSD as a critical analysis of localization outcome metrics...

OBJECTIVES: Lateral semicircular canal BPPV (LSC-BPPV) is diagnosed with the Head Yaw Test (HYT) by observing nystagmus direction and comparing the nystagmus intensity on both sides according to Ewald's laws. Head Pitching Test (HPT) is a diagnostic maneuver performed in the upright position by bending the patient's head forward (bowing) and backward (leaning) and observing the evoked nystagmus. We aimed to assess the sensitivity of HPT in correctly diagnosing LSC-BPPV through the quantitative measurement of Bowing and Leaning nystagmus slow-phase velocity (SPV)...

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates intratympanic lidocaine's efficacy and safety for tinnitus relief in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients. METHODS: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, 100 SSNHL patients with unilateral tinnitus received either intratympanic lidocaine or saline plus usual care. Treatment impact was assessed at 1 and 3 months using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, subjective visual analog scale, pure-tone audiometry. RESULTS: The lidocaine group demonstrated significant tinnitus relief according to the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory and visual analog scale, without pure-tone audiometry improvement or serious adverse events throughout the study period...

OBJECTIVE: Decisions around the diagnostic evaluation for pulsatile tinnitus (PT) remain challenging. We describe the usage patterns and diagnostic accuracy of imaging modalities and propose an evidence-based diagnostic approach for undifferentiated PT. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Single otology/neurotology clinic. SUBJECTS: Patients with PT presenting between 2009 and 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic yield, and diagnostic accuracy...

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the association between hearing preservation after cochlear implantation (CI) and intracochlear electrocochleography (ECochG) amplitude parameters. STUDY DESIGN: Multi-institutional, prospective randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Ten high-volume, tertiary care CI centers. PATIENTS: Adults (n = 87) with sensorineural hearing loss meeting CI criteria (2018-2021) with audiometric thresholds of ≤80 dB HL at 500 Hz...

OBJECTIVE: Personal statements (PSs) and letters of recommendation (LORs) are critical components of the neurotology fellowship application process but can be subject to implicit biases. This study evaluated general and deep learning linguistic differences between the applicant genders over a 10-year span. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: Two institutions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PSs and LORs were collected from 2014 to 2023 from two institutions...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine improvement in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) questionnaire in patients undergoing bone-conduction hearing implant (BCHI) insertion. STUDY DESIGN: A mixed retrospective and prospective correlational study. SETTING: Single tertiary referral center in the United Kingdom. PATIENTS: All adult patients undergoing their first BCHI over 6 years (April 1, 2017, to March 3, 2023)...

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial proteins assume a pivotal role in the onset and progression of diverse diseases. Nonetheless, the causal interconnections with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) demand meticulous exploration. Mendelian randomization analysis is a method used in observational epidemiological studies to predict the relationship between exposure factors and outcomes using genetic variants as instrumental variables. In this study, we applied this analytical approach to two distinct samples to predict the causal impact of mitochondrial proteins on SNHL...

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the relationship between word recognition score (WRS) and pure tone average (PTA) after hearing preservation surgery for vestibular schwannomas (VS) as well as evaluate the consistency of hearing classification systems. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review was performed. SETTING: This study included patients from a single academic tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: Patients with VS and serviceable hearing who underwent hearing preservation surgery 2014-2023...

HYPOTHESIS: The retrolabyrinthine (presigmoid) approach has been utilized in various skull base surgeries but has not been fully utilized in the management of internal auditory canal (IAC) lesions, such as vestibular schwannoma (VS). Microsurgical retrolabyrinthine approach provides limited visualization of the IAC, while endoscopic-assisted techniques allow for further lateral exposure with labyrinthine preservation. BACKGROUND: Traditional approaches to the IAC have the disadvantage of hearing sacrifice or retraction of brain tissue...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Acute mastoiditis (AM) is a relatively rare complication arising from acute otitis media, a common condition among children. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted AM cases. We noted a surge in pediatric AM cases in Germany after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in 2022. This study assesses AM incidence and the clinical course in children before, during, and after the pandemic. The study also explores complication rates and microbial changes. METHODS: Participants: We included children (0-18 yr) diagnosed with AM who underwent mastoidectomy at a tertiary-care university hospital from January 2012 to June 2023...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and assess the responsiveness of the Chinese version of Zurich Chronic Middle Ear Inventory (ZCMEI-21-Chn). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. SETTING: Four Chinese tertiary referral centers admitting patients nationwide. PATIENTS: 230 adult patients with chronic otitis media (COM) undergoing tympanoplasty. INTERVENTION: Patients were required to complete the ZCMEI-21-Chn to measure health-related quality of life both preoperatively and postoperatively...