The Challenges Encountered by Conventional Hearing Aid and/or Cochlear Implant Users During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stress, quality of life, and access to hearing health services experienced by adults and children who use hearing aid and/or cochlear implant and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Perceived Stress Scale, Personal Wellbeing Index, and World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaires were applied online to 30 adults with hearing loss and parents of 61 children with hearing loss. Also, a survey was conducted to acquire more about the demographics of people who use cochlear implants and conventional hearing aids, as well as the difficulties they encountered during the COVID-19 period. RESULTS: Although child user families experienced more problems than adults during the COVID-19 period, the stress levels of child user families were higher than that of adult user families (p = .05). Even though there was no statistically significant difference, the families of pediatric users had lower quality of life than adult users. CONCLUSIONS: The stress/anxiety problems that arise as a result of this are coming to the forefront of both patients and their relatives. The findings indicate that creative strategies should be developed to give individuals with hearing loss efficient access to hearing health services.

Concordance of vestibular test batteries in patients with vestibular neuritis.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of vestibular function tests are utilized to differentiate and verify the diagnosis of vestibular neuritis. The aim of this study is to retrospectively investigate the consistency of the results of the objective vestibular test batteries in patients with a preliminary diagnosis of vestibular neuritis. METHODS: We reviewed a total of 37 adult patients (mean age: 39.03 ± 11.67, 19 females, 18 males) who met the inclusion criteria with a prediagnosis of vestibular neuritis from 379 patients suffering vestibular symptoms. Caloric test (CVT), video head impulse test (vHIT), and ocular and cervical VEMP tests were compared with Cohen's kappa (Κ) analysis according to the likely affected part of the vestibular nerve. RESULTS: The highest statistically significant K value was found between horizontal vHIT and ocular VEMP (K = 0.707; good grade, p < 0.05). All the tests compared with CVT were poorly in agreement (K = 0.288; 0.262; 0.256 for HvHIT, oVEMP, AvHIT, respectively, p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: VEMP and vHIT tests have prominent diagnostic value and agree with each other for detecting and differentiating the types of vestibular neuritis. Further studies should aim to include cutting-edge technologies such as functional HIT and ocular counter roll test.

Instantaneous Gain in Video Head Impulse Test: A Reliability Study.

Objective: Vestibulo-ocular reflex gain at 40, 60, and 80 ms following the head movement start is calculated as the instantaneous gain. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of instantaneous gain values at 40, 60, and 80 ms with testing and retesting in healthy adults. Methods: The study was conducted with Interacoustics EyeSeeCam vHIT (Interacoustics, Denmark), and 42 healthy adults were evaluated twice at half-hour intervals (test and retest) by the same practitioner. Agreement of mean gain, gain asymmetry, and instantaneous gain was evaluated using a paired samples t-test. Results: Mean age of the participants was 33.62±11.17; 38.1% were male and 61.9% were female. In the degree of the agreement, paired sample correlation (r) between test and retest results of the horizontal semicircular canals was found to be higher than those of the vertical semicircular canals. Moreover, the highest correlation between test and retest for instantaneous gain, calculated for only horizontal semicircular canals, was found at 80 ms on each side (0.791; 0.838, right and left, respectively), while the lowest correlation between these parameters was found between the gain asymmetry values. Conclusion: The video head impulse test used in studies calculates the mean gain in approximately at 60 ms. However, the higher correlation between mean gain values at 80 ms in our findings indicates that gain calculation strategies and techniques for latencies should be discussed. Additionally, the low correlation of vertical semicircular canals for mean gain and gain asymmetry between semicircular canal pairs, which clearly shows that more standard and more reliable methods should be developed.

Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the vestibular rehabilitation benefit questionnaire

Background/aims: Vestibular rehabilitation has an important role in the reduction of symptoms and in the recovery of patients in peripheral vestibular pathologies. Objective and subjective vestibular assessment tools are needed to assess vestibular rehabilitation effectiveness. The aims of the study were to develop the Turkish version of the internationally used Vestibular Rehabilitation Benefit Questionnaire (VRBQ) measure and to demonstrate the reliability and validity properties of the Turkish version in patients with peripheral vestibular hypofunction (PVH). Materials and methods: 110 patients with unilateral PVH were included. For the analysis of test-retest reliability, Turkish version of VRBQ developed by translation-back translation method was applied to patients on the day of admission and the day after admission. To assess validity, patients were also evaluated with the VRBQ, Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Vertigo Symptom Scale-Short Form (VSS-SF), Vertigo Dizziness Imbalance (VDI) Questionnaire. Results: The VRBQ showed moderate to excellent internal consistency in total score and subscales scores (VRBQ-total Cronbach's α = 0.91; dizziness α = 0.81; anxiety α = 0.68; motion-provoked dizziness α = 0.89; aypmtoms α = 0.88; health-related quality of life α = 0.87). In the test-retest reliability of VRBQ-total score was excellent (ICC = 0.94). The dizziness, the anxiety, the motion-provoked dizziness, symptoms and the health-related quality of life domains' ICC were found respectively 0.90, 0.89, 0.84, 0.90, and 0.92. The construct validity of the VRBQ was determined. The VRBQ total was correlated with all parameters (r: 0.308 to ­0.699, P < 0.05). The highest positive correlation was found between VRBQ total and DHI-functional (r: 0.680). The highest negative correlation was found between VRBQ total and VDI-total (r: ­0.699). Conclusion: The results suggest that the Turkish version of the VRBQ is reliable and valid for evaluating the vestibular rehabilitation results.

Evaluation of Effect of Garlic Aged Extracts and Vitamin B12 on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated effects of S-allylmercaptocysteine (SAMC), diallyl disulfide (DADS), and vitamin B12 on inner ear functions and morphology after long-period high-level broadband noise exposure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-four healthy rats were randomly divided into four groups. First group was chosen as the control group. Vitamin B12, SAMC, and DADS were applied to other groups for 4 weeks. On the 14th day, each group was exposed to broadband noise. Auditory brainstem response test was performed before and immediately after noise exposure and repeated on the 2nd and 14th day. RESULTS: Permanent threshold shifts were significantly lower in groups treated with vitamin B12, SAMC, and DADS. Histologically, cochleae of SAMC and DADS groups were found to be better preserved than the cochleae of vitamin B12 and control groups. CONCLUSION: Physiologically and histologically, SAMC and DADS reduced the long-term effects of noise. However, physiological recovery was not consistent with the morphological findings in vitamin B12 group.