Improving quality of life in the elderly: hearing loss treatment with cochlear implants.

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss impacts health-related quality of life and general well-being and was identified in a Lancet report as one of the largest potentially modifiable factors for the prevention of age-related dementia. There is a lack of robust data on how cochlear implant treatment in the elderly impacts quality of life. The primary objective was to measure the change in health utility following cochlear implantation in individuals aged ≥ 60 years. METHODS: This study uniquely prospectively recruited a large multinational sample of 100 older adults (mean age 71.7 (SD7.6) range 60-91 years) with severe to profound hearing loss. In a repeated-measures design, pre and post implant outcome measures were analysed using mixed-effect models. Health utility was assessed with the Health Utilities Index Mark III (HUI3). Subjects were divided into groups of 60-64, 65-74 and 75 + years. RESULTS: At 18 months post implant, the mean HUI3 score improved by 0.13 (95%CI: 0.07-0.18 p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the HUI3 between age groups (F[2,9228] = 0.53, p = 0.59). The De Jong Loneliness scale reduced by an average of 0.61 (95%CI: 0.25-0.97 p < 0.014) and the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale improved on average (1.25, 95%CI: 0.85-1.65 p < 0.001). Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly Screening reduced by an average of 8.7 (95%CI: 6.7-10.8, p < 0.001) from a significant to mild-moderate hearing handicap. Age was not a statistically significant factor for any of the other measures (p > 0.20). At baseline 90% of participants had no or mild depression and there was no change in mean depression scores after implant. Categories of Auditory perception scale showed that all subjects achieved a level of speech sound discrimination without lip reading post implantation (level 4) and at least 50% could use the telephone with a known speaker. CONCLUSIONS: Better hearing improved individuals' quality of life, ability to communicate verbally and their ability to function independently. They felt less lonely and less handicapped by their hearing loss. Benefits were independent of age group. Cochlear implants should be considered as a routine treatment option for those over 60 years with bilateral severe to profound hearing loss. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ( http://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov/ ), 7 March 2017, NCT03072862.

Hospital discharge survey on 4,199 peritonsillar abscesses in the Veneto region: what is the risk of recurrence and complications without tonsillectomy?

The Veneto region's database of hospital discharge records was queried for ICD-9 codes corresponding to: peritonsillar abscess (PTA), PTA incision and drainage, tonsillectomy, pharyngeal-retropharyngeal abscess, cervical phlegmon, cervical abscess, and mediastinitis recorded from 1997 to 2006. All these codes were considered to identify cases of PTA recurrence and severe infectious complications occurring in conservatively treated patients. Among 4,199 patients whose PTA was incised and drained on admission to hospital, 1,532 were treated with tonsillectomy, while 2,667 were treated conservatively (without tonsillectomy). Abscess tonsillectomy was carried out almost exclusively in children (0-14 years of age), and only in 40 young and adult patients (0.95 %). The relapse rate after a single episode of PTA was 11.7 %, while potentially fatal complication occurred in 0.41 % of cases. Incidence of PTA hospital admission has remained stable in the considered period despite a 45 % reduction in the tonsillectomy rate. In conclusion, our data seem to show that conservative treatment for PTA is not associated with a significant risk of recurrence (and becomes minimal after 6-12 months), provided that patients have not suffered from previous PTA episodes.

Mastoiditis in adults: a 19-year retrospective study.

The objective of our study was to review retrospectively the clinical, radiological and therapeutic findings in 62 adults with acute mastoiditis treated at the ENT Department of Ferrara from 1992 to 2010. 62 adult cases fulfilled the following inclusion criteria: otoscopical evidence of co-existent or recent otitis media; postauricular swelling, erythema or tenderness; protrusion of the auricle; fever and/or significant radiological findings of mastoiditis. Conservative treatment comprehended antibiotic ± ventilation tube. Surgical procedures comprehended mastoidectomy or mastoido-tympanoplasty. The incidence of adult's mastoiditis in our district (0.99 cases/year/100.000 inhabitants) has maintained quite stable during the considered 19-year period. The typical clinical presentation was observed in 48% of cases. Complications were meningitis (15 cases), meningo-encephalitis (1), meningitis associated with lateral sinus thrombosis (1), facial nerve paralysis (11), and labyrinthitis (8). In all cases except one, the facial palsy recovered completely and no mortality was observed due to these complications. Complete cure was obtained with conservative treatment in 69% of uncomplicated cases and in 24% of patients with intracranial complications. Mastoiditis in adults may present as the acute classical form, as well as latent forms which often have prolonged and insidious development followed by a rapid clinical deterioration. Clinical features are frequently atypical, while incidence of meningitis and other complications is still high particularly in the most elderly. Thus, great care is required from clinicians to make an early diagnosis in order to promote adequate treatment.

Karyotype-phenotype correlation in partial trisomies of the short arm of chromosome 6: a family case report and review of the literature.

The first child (proband) of nonconsanguineous Caucasian parents underwent genetic investigation because she was affected with congenital choanal atresia, heart defects and kidney hyposplasia with mild transient renal insufficiency. The direct DNA sequencing after PCR of the CHD7 gene, which is thought to be responsible for approximately 60-70% of the cases of CHARGE syndrome/association, found no mutations. The cytogenetic analysis (standard GTG banding karyotype) revealed the presence of extrachromosomal material on 10q. The chromosome analysis was completed with array CGH (30 kb resolution), MLPA and FISH, which allowed the identification of three 6p regions (6p.25.3p23 × 3): 2 of these regions are normally located on chromosome 6, and the third region is translocated to the long arm of chromosome 10. The same chromosomal rearrangement was subsequently found in the father, who was affected with congenital ptosis and progressive hearing loss, and in the proband's sister, the second child, who presented at birth with choanal atresia and congenital heart defects. The mutated karyotypes, which were directly inherited, are thought to be responsible for a variable phenotype, including craniofacial dysmorphisms, choanal atresia, congenital ptosis, sensorineural hearing loss, heart defects, developmental delay, and renal dysfunction. Nevertheless, to achieve a complete audiological assessment of the father, he underwent further investigation that revealed an increased level of the coagulation factor XIII (300% increased activity), fluctuating levels of fibrin D-dimer degradation products (from 296 to 1,587 ng/ml) and a homoplasmic mitochondrial DNA mutation: T961G in the MTRNR1 (12S rRNA) gene. He was made a candidate for cochlear implantation. Preoperative high-resolution computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the temporal bone revealed the presence of an Arnold-Chiari malformation type I. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the second report on partial 6p trisomy that involves the 10q terminal region. Furthermore, we report the first case of documented Arnold-Chiari malformation type I and increased factor XIII activity associated with 6p trisomy. We present a comprehensive report of the familial cases and an exhaustive literature review.

Beyond Janzen's Hypothesis: How Amphibians That Climb Tropical Mountains Respond to Climate Variation.

Janzen's hypothesis (JH) posits that low thermal variation selects for narrow physiological tolerances, and thus small species distributional ranges and high species turnover along tropical elevational gradients. Although this hypothesis has been intensely revisited, it does not explain how many tropical species may exhibit broad distributions, encompassing altitudinal gradients. Moreover, the physiological responses of tropical species remain largely unknown, limiting our understanding on how they respond to climate variation. To fill these knowledge gaps, we tested a major component of JH, the climate variability hypothesis (CVH), which predicts broader thermal tolerance breadth (Tbr = CTmax - CTmin) with broader temperature variation. Specifically, we sampled populations of five amphibian species distributed in two mountain ranges in Brazil's Atlantic Forest to test how CTmin and CTmax vary along elevational gradients. Since both thermal and water balance traits are pivotal to the evolutionary history of amphibians, we also measured rates of dehydration and rehydration and their relations with thermal tolerances. We found that broader temperature variation with increasing altitude did not always lead to broader Tbr, since changes in CTmin and CTmax were species-specific. In addition, we found that water balance did not show consistent variation with altitude, also with low correlations between hydric and thermal traits. While we also found that highland populations are at lower risk of thermal stress than lowland counterparts, both are living far from their upper thermal limits. As a consequence of intraspecific variation in physiological traits and spatial variation in climate along altitude, responses to climate variation in tropical amphibian species were context-dependent and heterogeneous. Together with recent studies showing thermal tolerances of some tropical amphibians comparable to temperate taxa, our findings highlight that several responses to climate variation in tropical species may not conform to predictions made by either the CVH or other important hypotheses concerning physiological variation. This reinforces the need to overcome geographical bias in physiological data to improve predictions of climate change impacts on biodiversity. (Portuguese abstract) Resumo A Hipótese de Janzen (JH) postula que a baixa variação térmica seleciona tolerâncias fisiológicas estreitas e, portanto, amplitudes restritas de distribuição das espécies e alta substituição de espécies ao longo de gradientes altitudinais tropicais. Embora intensamente revisitada, essa hipótese não explica como espécies tropicais podem exibir amplas distribuições geográficas, abrangendo gradientes altitudinais. Além disso, as respostas fisiológicas das espécies tropicais permanecem amplamente desconhecidas, limitando nossa compreensão sobre como elas respondem à variação climática. Para preencher essas lacunas de conhecimento, testamos um componente importante da JH, a Hipótese de Variabilidade Climática (CVH), que prevê uma maior amplitude de tolerância térmica (Tbr = CTmax - CTmin) quando a variação da temperatura ambiental é mais ampla. Especificamente, amostramos populações de cinco espécies de anfíbios distribuídas em duas cadeias montanhosas na Mata Atlântica do Brasil para testar como CTmin e CTmax variam ao longo de gradientes de altitude. Dado que parâmetros térmicos e do balanço hídrico são fundamentais para a história evolutiva dos anfíbios, também medimos as taxas de desidratação e reidratação e suas relações com as tolerâncias térmicas. Encontramos que uma variação de temperatura ambiental mais ampla com o aumento da altitude nem sempre conduz a uma Tbr mais ampla, uma vez que as mudanças em CTmin e CTmax foram espécie-específicas. Além disso, encontramos que o balanço hídrico não apresentou variação consistente com a mudança de altitude, e que as correlações entre parâmetros hídricos e térmicos foram baixas. Embora populações das maiores altitudes apresentaram menor risco de estresse térmico do que populações da mesma espécie em altitudes menores, ambas estão vivendo longe de seus limites térmicos superiores. Em consequência da variação intraespecífica em parâmetros fisiológicos e variação espacial no clima ao longo da altitude, as respostas à variação climática em espécies de anfíbios tropicais foram contexto-dependentes e heterogêneas. Juntamente com estudos recentes indicando tolerâncias térmicas de alguns anfíbios tropicais comparáveis a de táxons temperados, nossas descobertas destacam que várias respostas à variação climática em espécies tropicais podem não estar de acordo com as previsões feitas pela CVH ou outras hipóteses importantes sobre a variação fisiológica. Isso reforça a necessidade de superar o viés geográfico em dados fisiológicos para aperfeiçoar previsões dos impactos das mudanças climáticas sobre a biodiversidade. (Spanish abstract) Resumen La hipótesis de Janzen (JH) postula que la baja variación térmica selecciona tolerancias fisiológicas estrechas y, por lo tanto, rangos de distribución de especies restringidos con alta rotación de especies a lo largo de gradientes de elevación tropicales. Aunque esta hipótesis ha sido intensamente discutida, no explica cómo várias especies tropicales pueden exhibir distribuciones amplias, abarcando gradientes altitudinales. Además, las respuestas fisiológicas de las especies tropicales siguen siendo bastante desconocidas, lo que limita la comprensión de cómo responden a la variación climática. Para llenar estos vacíos de conocimiento, examinamos un componente importante de JH, la Hipótesis de Variabilidad Climática (CVH), que predice mayor amplitud de tolerancia térmica (Tbr = CTmax - CTmin) cuando la variación de temperatura es más amplia. Específicamente, tomamos muestras de poblaciones de cinco especies de anfibios distribuidas en dos cadenas montañosas en el Bosque Atlántico de Brasil para verificar cómo CTmin y CTmax varían a lo largo de este gradiente de elevación. Dado que los rasgos de equilibrio térmico y hídrico son fundamentales para la historia evolutiva de los anfibios, también medimos las tasas de deshidratación y rehidratación y sus relaciones con las tolerancias térmicas. Encontramos que una variación de temperatura más amplia con el aumento de la altitud no siempre conduce a una Tbr más amplia, ya que los cambios en CTmin y CTmax son específicos de la especie. Además, encontramos que el balance hídrico no muestra variación consistente con la altitud, con bajas correlaciones también entre los rasgos hídricos y térmicos. Si bien las poblaciones de las tierras altas tienen un menor riesgo de estrés térmico que las contrapartes de las tierras bajas, ambas se encuentran lejos de sus límites térmicos superiores. Como consecuencia de la variación intraespecífica en los rasgos fisiológicos y la variación espacial en el clima a lo largo de la altitud, las respuestas a la variación climática en las especies de anfibios tropicales fueron dependientes del contexto y heterogéneas. Junto con estudios recientes que muestran tolerancias térmicas de algunos anfibios tropicales comparables a los taxones de zonas templadas, nuestros hallazgos resaltan que varias respuestas a la variación climática en especies tropicales pueden no ajustarse a las predicciones hechas por el CVH u otras hipótesis importantes sobre la variación fisiológica. Esto refuerza la necesidad de superar el sesgo geográfico en los datos fisiológicos para mejorar las predicciones de los impactos del cambio climático en la biodiversidad.

Postoperative complications in cochlear implants: a retrospective analysis of 438 consecutive cases.

Our objective is to determine the complication rate in a population of infants, children, adolescents and adults, from a University Hospital Cochlear Implant program and to discuss their causes and treatments. The methods include a retrospective study of 438 consecutive patients in a tertiary referral centre, the Audiology Department of the University Hospital of Ferrara. All patients receiving cochlear implants, between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2009, have been included. All complications and treatments were systematically reviewed with an average duration of follow-up of 46 months (range 10-84 months). The results reveal that the overall rate of complications in our group was 9.1% (40 of 438), and most of them were minor. Wound swelling and infections represent the most common complication occurred. There were no cases of transient or permanent facial palsy following surgery, and also we did not register any case of postsurgical meningitis. Thirteen patients (3.0%) underwent explantation followed by reimplantation. In conclusion, we find that Cochlear implantation is a safe low-morbility technique with a relatively low complication rate in the presented population.

Are systemic oral steroids effective for sensorineural hearing loss in bullous myringitis? Considerations from a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: It is common in clinical practice to administer systemic steroids to treat sensorineural hearing loss due to bullous myringitis (BM). Nonetheless, there is currently no definitive evidence that steroid therapy is effective and appropriate for BM. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of systemic steroid therapy for treating BM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study included 23 patients affected by BM with sensorineural hearing loss (median age, 45.8 years). The subjects were divided into two groups: Group A received only systemic antibiotic treatment and Group B received systemic antibiotics plus systemic steroid treatment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences between the groups in terms of the sensorineural hearing loss recovery. Both treatments were effective, suggesting that administration of oral steroids in combination with antibiotics did not confer an advantage in terms of sensorineural hearing loss recovery rate in the tested population.

Sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss as an unusual consequence of accidental ingestion of potassium hydroxide.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the possible etiopathogenetic mechanism of inner ear damage induced by the ingestion of potassium hydroxide (KOH). CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND INTERVENTION: We report the case of a 37-year-old patient with sudden bilateral sensorineural hearing loss after accidental ingestion of a KOH solution. The first ear, nose and throat examination disclosed only mild edema of the upper airways. He was treated in the intensive care unit and prescribed high-dose steroids, proton pump inhibitors and sucralfate for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, there was no recovery of the hearing loss, and no audiogram changes were noticed after 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: After exploring the possible etiopathogenetic mechanism involved, the authors believe that in this case, a transient severe hemodynamic imbalance can actually be considered to be the most reliable explanation for the inner ear damage and subsequent onset of permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

Cavernous hemangioma of the external ear: case report and literature review.

OBJECTIVES: To describethe occurrence of a cavernous hemangioma of the external auditory meatus extending to the middle ear and the retroauricolar region in an adult patient, and to review the relevant literature. METHODS: Case report. We report the clinical presentation, imaging studies and surgical procedures used in the study. RESULTS: The angiographic study showed that the blood supply of the mass originated from the posterior auricular artery. Via a retroauricular approach, this artery was isolated and ligated in order to control the intra-operative bleeding. A canal wall up mastoidectomy with posterior tympanotomy and a tympano-canaloplasty were performed, permitting a complete excision. At 36 months of follow-up, no clinical and radiological signs of recurrence were detected. CONCLUSION: Surgical removal is the treatment of choice, with rare recurrence of the hemangiomas. Pre-operative evaluation is based on computed tomography (CT scan), but should be followed by magnetic resonance angiography (MR-angio) or intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IA-DSA), especially in case of wider lesions.

Skull base inflammatory pseudotumour involving the rhinopharyngeal space.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a rare case of inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT) at the skull base involving the right rhinopharyngeal space. METHODS: A case is presented; the clinical and therapeutic issues of IPT are reviewed and discussed. RESULTS: The mass resembled a malignant tumour or an aggressive infectious lesion; the final diagnosis was inflammatory pseudotumour. A complete regression of the mass was achieved after treatment with high dose oral steroids followed by maintenance steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: IPT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of rhinopharyngeal malignancies in order to avoid inappropriate (surgical) treatment.

Giant cell granuloma of the temporal bone: a case report.

PROBLEM: Giant cell granuloma (GCG) is a rare nonneoplastic bone lesion that occurs mostly in the jawbones; few cases arise in the remainder of the skull, including the temporal bone. Previously, giant cell lesions of the temporal bone were regarded as giant cell tumours (GCT). The importance of distinguishing GCG from GCT lies in the presumed difference in prognosis; GCTs have higher rates of recurrence, metastasis, and malignant transformation. METHODOLOGY: We describe the case of a 12-year-old child with temporal bone GCG extending to the middle cranial fossa. The patient underwent a subtotal petrosectomy via retroauricular approach, associated with resection of the zygomatic process. RESULTS: No evidence of recurrence was found 36 months later. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of GCG was based on clinical history, histology, imaging, and response to treatment. The patient was treated with the standard surgical approach, and has a good outcome at three years follow-up.

Simplified technique without skin flap for the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) implant.

Aim of this report is to present a new surgical technique for the BAHA system implant and to discuss the operational techniques and complications related to this type of surgery. The common technique for the positioning of the Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA, Cochlear Limited, Englewood, CO, USA) titanium implant into the temporal bone is based on the use of either a free or a pedunculated skin flap. Reported complications of this type of surgery include skin flap necrosis with healing by second intention, infection of the flap, skin growth over the abutment, failure of osseointegration and implant extrusion. In order to reduce the incidence of these problems, different types of surgery have already been presented over the years. Herewith, a new technique is proposed for implanting a BAHA screw in the temporal bone, that is simple, rapid to perform, and does not require the use of a flap. This technique appears to offer two main advantages: i) the speeding up of the procedure; ii) the low risk of complications, such as infection and necrosis, within the skin surrounding the implant.

Speech perception in noise by young sequential bilingual children.

The objective of this study was to ascertain the effects of competitive noise on second language perception skills of sequentially bilingual children and to compare the results with those relating to matched monolingual peers. Fifteen bilingual immigrant children (aged 6-10 years) (BL) learning through their second language (L2), which was Italian, were matched with 15 peers who only spoke Italian (IO). All immigrant children had arrived in Italy and were exposed to L2 after their 4th year of life. The speech-to-noise ratio (SNR) needed to obtain 50% intelligibility - the speech reception threshold (SRT) - for Italian words was measured against the Italian version of ICRA noise, using an adaptive method. Moreover, presentation of phrases against a contralateral continuous discourse (informational masking) was carried out to exclude possible biases due to differences in memory, attention, or other central auditory processing disorders between groups. The SNR was -2.7 dB (SD 1.7; range: -5.5 to + 0.9) for the BL group and -5.3 dB (SD 2.3; range: -8.8 to -0.9) for the IO group (p < 0.01). With contralateral continuous discourse presentation the SNR were -32.8 dB (SD 2.4; range: -36.1 to -28.2) for the BL group and -27.8 dB (SD 2.1; range: -31.7 to -24.1) for the OI group (p < 0.01). Even sequential bilingual individuals exposed to L2 at 4 years old had worse speech perception in noise than their matched IO peers. On the other hand, the BL group demonstrated superior divided attention skills in tests with competitive contralateral discourse (p < 0.01).

Acute mastoiditis in children: the "Ferrara" experience.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the clinical features and outcomes of acute mastoiditis in children referred to the ENT/Audiology Department of the University of Ferrara from January 1994 to December 2005. It also aims to discuss risk factors and to find predictors for surgery. METHODS: A retrospective study on case sheets of children with an acute mastoiditis diagnosis was carried out. Fifty-five cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria: they presented otoscopical evidence of acute otitis media and inflammatory findings of the mastoid area such as post-auricular swelling, redness or tenderness, protrusion of the auricle and/or radiological findings. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients were only treated with antibiotic therapy, tympanocentesis alone was performed in 11 cases; in 5, a ventilation tube was positioned. Mastoidectomy was performed in 13 patients. The group who underwent mastoidectomy had a median hospital stay of 15 days (5-54), in this group were found the following complications: 1 meningitis, 1 meningo-encephalitis, 1 lateral and sigmoid sinus thrombosis, 1 facial palsy. CONCLUSION: the incidence of otomastoiditis does not seem to be decreasing, on the contrary, in some countries, it seems to be on the increase. Our experience cannot confirm a real increase of the incidence but we noted periodic variations during the time of observation. It is important, that careful attention is paid to the clinical assessment of children who are 2-years old or under, as they seem to be more exposed to the risk of clinical complications; therefore, it is highly recommended that the otologist and the paediatrician collaborate closely.

Aberrant internal carotid artery in the middle ear: two case reports.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical and radiological features of the vascular anomaly, aberrant internal carotid artery (ICA) in the temporal bone. METHODOLOGY: Case reports on two patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Aberrant ICA in the middle ear is a rare congenital abnormality usually identified on a computed tomographic scan before beginning middle ear surgery. Misdiagnosis may lead to serious surgical complications such as major bleeding, or even neurological deficit due to endovascular occlusion.

New trends in rehabilitation of children with ENT disorders.

In the last 20 years, neonatal survival has progressively increased due to the constant amelioration of neonatal medical treatment and surgical techniques. Thus, the number of children with congenital malformations and severe chronic pathologies who need rehabilitative care has progressively increased. Rehabilitation programs for paediatric patients with disorders of voice, speech and language, communication and hearing, deglutition and breathing are not widely available in hospital settings or in long-term care facilities. In most countries, the number of physicians and technicians is still inadequate; moreover, multidisciplinary teams dedicated to paediatric patients are quite rare. The aim of the present study is to present some new trends in ENT paediatric rehabilitation.

Immune-mediated inner ear disease.

The incidence of autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is difficult to determine: probably it is a rare disease, accounting for <1% of all cases of hearing impairment or dizziness. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of AIED might be overlooked because of the lack of a specific diagnostic test. The hallmark of this clinically diagnosed condition is the presence of a rapidly progressive, often fluctuating, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) over a period of weeks to months. The progression of hearing loss is too rapid to be diagnostic for presbycusis and too slow to conclude a diagnosis of sudden SNHL. Vestibular symptoms, such as generalized imbalance, ataxia, positional vertigo and episodic vertigo may be present in almost 50% of patients. Occasionally only one ear is affected initially, but bilateral hearing loss occurs in most patients, with symmetric or asymmetric audiometric thresholds. Almost 25-50% of patients also have tinnitus and aural fullness, which can fluctuate. Systemic autoimmune diseases coexist in 15-30% of patients.

Cochlear implantation in post-lingually deafened adults and elderly patients: analysis of audiometric and speech perception outcomes during the first year of use.

The aim of this study was to analyse audiometric and speech perception outcomes after cochlear implantation (CI) in adult and elderly patients in the first year post-CI activation. We evaluated 42 subjects who underwent CI at the Otorhinolaryngological Clinic of Padua Hospital. The subjects enrolled were post-lingually deafened patients who were unilaterally implanted for bilateral, severe-to-profound hearing loss. The overall sample was divided into three groups according to the age at the time of implantation: group A (35-49 years), group B (50-64 years) and group C (≥ 65 years). The subjects were assessed, both before and after surgery (at months 1, 3, 6 and 12), using pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and speech perception tests and the CAP questionnaire. Statistical analysis of outcomes was using a Student's t-test for paired data. In all study groups a significant improvement was demonstrated in auditory performance examinations post-CI compared to the pre-operative scores. All subjects in all age groups obtained significant improvements in PTA scores before surgery and post-CI activation. Comparison of PTA values among the three age groups did not reveal any significant difference. Considerable improvement was obtained even in the speech audiometry thresholds in all groups at follow-up, with no significant differences between groups. The speech perception examination and CAP questionnaire showed good progress in all study groups, although younger patients tended to achieve more complex categories than older ones. In conclusion, CI is an effective treatment for severe-to-profound hearing loss with no significant differences in auditory performances between older and younger CI recipients. Even if somewhat slower, subjects older than 65 reached good performance and therefore are good candidates for a cochlear implant.

Outcomes of long-term audiological rehabilitation in charge syndrome.

The aim of this paper is to assess the long-term audiological features and outcomes of hearing rehabilitation in a large group of individuals with CHARGE Syndrome. The study has been conducted retrospectively, on a paediatric patient database, at the Audiology Department of the University Hospitals of Ferrara and Padua. The study sample included 31 children presenting with different degrees of hearing impairment associated with CHARGE syndrome. Hearing was assessed using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) and/or electrocochleography, or conditioned audiometry (visual reinforcement audiometry [VRA] or play audiometry). Auditory-perceptual outcomes in terms of communication skills and expressive language were also recorded. The effects of hearing rehabilitation (with hearing aids or cochlear implants) in this group of children and language outcomes after rehabilitation were monitored during long-term follow-up. The outcomes of rehabilitation measures differed in relation to the heterogeneous and often severe disabilities associated with CHARGE syndrome, e.g. developmental delay, intellectual delay, visual impairment, thin 8(th) nerve with retrocochlear auditory dysfunction (as described in cases of auditory neuropathy/dyssynchrony). Oral expressive language was severely impaired in most cases, even after lengthy follow-up, suggesting the need for alternative augmentative communication modes. The early identification of sensorineural hearing loss, and carefully planned rehabilitation treatments, can be of some benefit in children with CHARGE syndrome.

Outcome predictors of treatment effectiveness for fungal malignant external otitis: a systematic review.

The aim of this review is to summarise literature data on clinical aspects and traditional management of fungal malignant external otitis (FMEO), and to identify potential predictive factors of positive treatment outcome. Articles were initially selected based on their titles or abstracts. Full articles were then retrieved and further scrutinised according to predetermined criteria. Reference lists of selected articles were searched for any missed publications. The selected articles were methodologically evaluated. Of an initial 143 references, 14 were selected that focalised on the management of FMEO. The majority of studies demonstrated a correlation between treatment effectiveness, assessed as symptom resolution, and clinical and management variables: abstention from surgical debridement, absence of facial palsy, Aspergillus spp. as causative pathogen and absence of imaging findings at diagnosis and follow-up. The effectiveness of FMEO treatment depends on the assessment of cranial nerve state, the causative pathogen and imaging findings. Above all, absence of facial nerve palsy, Aspergillus spp. and absence of radiological signs at diagnosis and during follow-up correlate with symptom resolution. The fact that conservative treatment may be associated with a better outcome than surgical debridement could purely reflect that patients with more aggressive and advanced illness required debridement, whereas milder disease was treated conservatively. Thus, caution should be advised in the interpretation of data due to the need for further trials on the topic.