Is there hope of hearing for postmeningitic patients deemed unsuitable for a cochlear implant?

Rehabilitation of patients with profound hearing loss deemed unsuitable for cochlear implants is challenging. An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is a viable option for these patients. This paper evaluates auditory and speech perception outcome measures following ABI in 10 postmeningitic...

Strategies to improve early development of vocabulary post-cochlear implantation

Cochlear Implantation (CI) is now the standard of care for rehabilitation of children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. It improves the children’s linguistic input and helps them to develop language. The literature published so far has shown...

Hearing loss and QOL

This article evaluates the impact of hearing loss and its rehabilitation on the quality of life (QoL) of adults. The authors suggest that the currently used scale, Aphab, is long, complicated and does not take into account minor changes. The...

Lack of early vocabulary growth in bilateral cochlear implant children

Studies indicate that children with unilateral implantation may have delayed vocabulary development for long periods of time even after implantation. This Finnish study attempted to find out whether bilateral cochlear implantation was associated with earlier vocabulary development. The authors analysed...

Use of technological aids and interpretation services

Hearing loss attracts large interest among researchers all over the world due to its prevalence and negative psychological side-effects. Usually hearing loss is managed with hearing aids. However, there are several additional technologies that can be of great help for...

Single sided deafness and cochlear implants

Cochlear implants (CI) can restore hearing in the profoundly deaf ear. Risk/ benefit and cost considerations dictate strict criteria that must be met for patients to be eligible. People with single-sided deafness are not eligible to receive a cochlear implant...

Cochlear implantation in children with cognitive disabilities

Additional disabilities are frequently encountered in children born with hearing loss or deafness. A study from Denmark attempted to systematically review to what extent hearing-impaired children with cognitive disabilities benefit from cochlear implantation. The authors conducted an extensive search in...

Cochlear microphonics in children

Cochlear microphonics (CM) are generated mainly from outer hair cells and are routinely tested in children with hearing loss in some parts of the world. In this retrospective study, the aim was to compare the cochlear microphonics features (mainly CM...

Comparison of linguistic profiles in three groups of children with hearing loss and specific language impairment

Spoken language deficits in children with hearing loss early in life are attributed to auditory speech perception limitations. It is assumed that hearing following cochlear implants (CIs) will improve these language deficits. However, the studies have shown that although cochlear...

Hearing preservation and device benefit following implantation of short or hybrid electrodes

Hybrid or short electrodes have increasingly been used in the literature in order to combine electrical with hearing-aid stimulation. However, hearing preservation of the residual low-frequencies are of utmost importance in this attempt. The present study compared hearing preservation and...

Hearing loss in the young and self-esteem

How can those involved in the care of children with hearing loss identify those at risk of low self-esteem? This study provides some guidance. Overall differences from hearing peers in terms of communication skills, physical appearance and social maturity place...

Cochlear implantation in Ménière’s disease

This was a Belgian retrospective study of seven patients with Ménière’s disease who underwent cochlear implantation. All patients had bilateral severe to profound hearing loss and all met AAO-HNS criteria for Ménière’s disease. Follow-up for patients ranged from six months...