The very nature of a dead region (DR) in a cochlea means that they are often found in patients who are eligible for cochlear implants. However, a variety of different hearing configurations are found in those with DRs because of...
The latest Bárány Society’s consensus document on diagnostic criteria for vestibular disorders is one for superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS). There are three major categories: (A) Symptoms consistent with a third mobile labyrinthine window; (B) Physiologic tests – clinical...
A team at the University of Southampton have been funded by the Ministry of Defence to investigate how to improve the assessment of auditory fitness for duty in the UK Armed Forces. Matt Blyth talks us through the current methods...
This is an interesting paper. The authors recommend a transmastoid facial decompression for patients with complete facial nerve paralysis with House Brackman HB 5/6 who do not show any sign of recovery after two weeks of treatment following a diagnosis...
In an American ageing society with more prevalent hearing loss, fewer geriatric patients are opting for cochlear implants (CI). This is mainly due to comorbidities and potential complications. Authors conducted a retrospective review of CI patients from 2015 till 2021....
Louis Pasteur once observed: “In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind.” Professor Hopkins was certainly prepared when a few anecdotes of smell problems started to accumulate early in the pandemic’s course. Post-viral olfactory loss is nothing...
A cloze test uses missing ______ to assess language ability.How can audiologists measure ______ to help assess listening difficulties? Language ability and listening difficulties While it seems like stepping onto someone else’s turf, there is a strong need for audiologists...
It’s true, the UK’s premier ENT event has come around quickly this time. So, who better to ‘poke awake’ for an article on the ethos and culture of Birmingham UK, BACO 2020 venue, than the erudite Chris Potter, who’s been...
COVID-19 has also presented its challenges to hearing healthcare providers and to the industry and, similarly, called for innovation and creativity. Dr Bromwich describes how these sectors are rising to the challenge. The reality of COVID-19 has been a challenging...
The long-term histological effect on taste buds following cutting of the chorda tympani in humans is not clear. Confocal laser scanning allows in-vivo examination of the same group of taste buds and is aiding our understanding of why patients recover...
Auditory processing disorder (APD) has had a controversial history, stemming mainly from lack of scientific rigor and accepted clinical definition. That situation is now changing. Driven by the huge number of people with unaddressed listening difficulties, basic discoveries in neuroscience,...
Establishing the cause of acute vestibular syndrome (AVS) is critical in the first few hours of presentation in the emergency department. The first question to ask is, “is it due to a peripheral vestibular pathology or a stroke?” This is...