Assessment of Speech Recognition for HI and CI Patients: Things Need to Change
from the National Health Service (UK)
Abstract: Hearing aid and cochlear implant technologies have changed over the years, but the audiological assessment of speech recognition has not kept pace with the need to provide better assessment tools. This presentation will highlight some of the more recent findings and recommended procedures that provide more comprehensive assessments of speech recognition in quiet and various background noise environments.
For further information contact:
Tel : 0115 942 1985
Fax : 0115 924 9054
http://www.earfoundation.org.uk/contact/
Register at:
http://www.hearingseminars.com/jonshallop2008/event/registration.html
Where:Nottingham
When:06 Nov 2008 17:30 - 19:00
Audiologic Results of Surgery for Cholesteatoma: Short- and Long-Term Follow-Up of Influential Factors
Objective: To review the audiologic results in a cohort of patients surgically treated for cholesteatoma.
Study Design: Retrospective review of patient records.
Setting: Tertiary referral center.
Patients: A retrospective study of patients operated on for acquired middle ear cholesteatoma during the period 1990 to 2002 was performed. A total of 758 patients were followed during a short-term period, and 611 patients were followed during a long-term period. The patients were divided into 3 age groups: children, adolescents, and adults. The localization of cholesteatoma was classified as attic, sinus, or tensa.
Interventions: Closed tympanoplasty was always performed as the single procedure of choice on all the children, and reoperation or conversion to open tympanoplasty was made later if needed. Adult patients were treated with single classic canal wall up, or wall down (CWD), according to the propagation of disease and condition of middle ear.
Main Outcome Measures: Preoperative and postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) and pure-tone average were compared after short-term and long-term follow-up.
Results: Average hearing improvement (reduction of ABG) amounted 20.0 dB for short-term and deteriorated to 18.0 dB during long-term analysis for all the patients. Preoperative hearing level was significantly worse for CWD than for intact canal wall technique. The ABG closure was much better in the group with attic cholesteatoma. Both preoperative and postoperative hearing levels were worse for children than for adolescents or adults. Revision operations and bilateral cholesteatoma gave worse total postoperative hearing. The long-term results of primary operations, when recurrent cholesteatoma did not occur, were stable. Damage to auditory ossicles correlated well with total preoperative and postoperative results. The most hearing improvement was verified for the frequencies between 500 and 3,000 Hz, and there was no sensorineural hearing loss.
Conclusion: The audiologic results of cholesteatoma surgery are preserved during long-term follow-up. We found that recurrent cholesteatoma was associated with diminished postoperative hearing. Poorer preoperative hearing level, CWD tympanoplasty, younger age, bilateral cholesteatoma, and ossicular damage, as well as revision surgery, were associated with reduced gains in hearing with surgical management. Surgical experience was important for ICW technique and for advanced damage of auditory ossicles. Recurrent cholesteatoma resulted in significantly worse hearing results for each analyzed parameter.
Transforming Services for Children with Hearing Difficulty and their Families: A Good Practice Guide (DH)
from Clinical Governance
Further to the publication of ‘Improving Access to Audiology Services in England’ in March 2007, this document provides good practice and evidence to help commissioners and service providers to make changes to the way that paediatric hearing services are delivered, and in particular to reduce waits for patients with the most common hearing difficulties.
10 Trends That Are Transforming Hearing Health Care
from The Hearing Review
Will technological change translate into greater customer satisfaction and market growth?
In the last 5 years, we’ve seen a lot of technological change. But will it translate into greater customer satisfaction and accelerated market growth?
Extending Candidacy for Thin-Tube Fittings by Modifying the Earmold
from The Hearing Review
Old-school acoustic plumbing principles for today’s instant-fit mini-BTEs
We can exploit the rules of earmold acoustics to our advantage, even with thin tubes. We just need to understand what is going on acoustically at the eardrum, and this knowledge is obtained through probe microphone measurements.
Auditory Steady-State Response: A Beginner’s Guide
from The Hearing Review
An orientation to ASSR based on refinements and offerings from Interacoustics.
Anatomy of an Earmold
from The Hearing Review
An ear can be as individual as a fingerprint, and for something so unique, the right—or wrong—earmold can make or break a hearing aid’s success.
Hearing Aid Selection and BTEs
from The Hearing Review
Understanding the advantages and limitations of the six types of BTEs
Transforming services for children with hearing difficulty and their families: a good practice guide
from the National Health Service (UK)
Further to the publication of ‘Improving Access to Audiology Services in England’ in March 2007, this document provides good practice and evidence to help commissioners and service providers to make changes to the way that paediatric hearing services are delivered, and in particular to reduce waits for patients with the most common hearing difficulties.
Now available at a chemist near you… the tiny hearing aid which boosts the sound of speech
from the Daily Mail.uk.co
A newly launched over-the-counter device could help thousands of people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
The jelly-bean-sized gadget is designed to help boost the sound of speech only - it is being targeted at people who struggle to hear what’s being said in crowded places (such as in meetings or at parties) or on the TV.
Buying or Selling an Audiology Business
from the ASHA Leader
The hearing industry is ripe for audiologists to increase their presence in the market. With the move to advanced degrees and greater autonomy, audiologists can position themselves as primary health care professionals to individuals with hearing loss. Audiologists traditionally work in clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices—important delivery models for audiology care—but many audiologists are embracing autonomy with ownership of a private practice.
Audiology Convention Program Expands
from the ASHA Leader
This year’s convention theme is “Celebrating the Winds of Change.” It may sound a little corny, but it is very appropriate. The audiology program, for example, will present many changes. Our objective was to make the program bigger, better, and more accessible, with “all things audiology” in one place with an outstanding group of speakers.
Audiological Application Criteria for Implantable Hearing Aid Devices: A Clinical Experience at the Nijmegen ORL Clinic
from Laryngoscope
Abstract:
Objectives/Hypothesis: To define audiological application criteria for different implantable hearing aid devices.
Study Design: Retrospective study.
Methods: Comparisons were made between aided speech recognition scores obtained at conversational level (65 dB) in patients with the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) (n = 22), the Otologics middle ear transducer (MET) (n = 10), conventional hearing aids (behind-the-ears) (n = 47), and cochlear implants (CIs) (n = 123).
Results: In relation to hearing loss, only for mild hearing loss, speech recognition scores with VSB were comparable to that with conventional hearing aids. In the Otologics MET users, speech recognition scores were comparable with those of the conventional hearing aid users until a mean hearing loss of about 75 dB HL. At a sensorineural hearing loss of about 65 dB HL or more, the Otologics MET users have better speech recognition scores than the VSB users. For comparison with CI users, we followed a more conservative approach. In 90% of the users of a CI, speech recognition scores were better than those in: 1) patients with a conventional hearing aid and a mean hearing loss of about 95 dB HL or worse; 2) patients with an Otologics MET and a mean hearing loss of 85 dB HL or worse.
Conclusions: Patients fitted with a VSB or an Otologics MET middle ear implant do not demonstrate better speech recognition scores than patients fitted with today’s conventional hearing aids. Results might even been worse. However, the VSB and Otologics MET are a good option in patients with moderate (VSB) to severe (Otologics MET) sensorineural hearing loss and external otitis.
Earwax Removal: National Guidelines Released
The American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first comprehensive clinical guidelines to help health care practitioners identify patients with cerumen (commonly referred to as earwax) impaction. The guidelines emphasize evidence-based management of cerumen impaction by clinicians, and inform patients of the purpose of ear wax in hearing health.
The large Chinese family with Y-linked hearing loss revisited: Clinical investigation
Abstract
Conclusion. The DFNY1 phenotypes shared many characteristics with some autosomal dominant hearing loss, in the aspects of age of onset, severity and audiometric configuration. However, the typical, outstanding feature of this trait was its remarkable pattern of inheritance. Similar traits, if ever encountered, can be most easily identified by discerning this exceptional and rare pattern of inheritance. Objectives. To analyze the audiological features in Chinese Y-linked non-syndromic hearing impairment, the extended DFNY1 family. Subjects and Methods. A nine-generation Chinese family (DFNY1) was ascertained and expanded from the year of 2000 to 2006. The audiometric evaluations included pure-tone audiometry, tympanometry, and auditory brainstem responses. Some subjects received computerized tomography scan of the temporal bone. Results. 52 out of 276 members in this family received clinical examinations. 24 live subjects had hearing impairment consisting of 23 patrilineal males and one female. In the affected lineage, 92% patrilineal males were well characterized as having hearing loss and 2 children remained to be diagnosed. Based on the audiological examinations on the male members, the degree of hearing loss was from mild (3 patients), moderate (7 patients) to severe (11 patients). The audiometry displayed 48% subjects with sloping in high frequencies, 38% flat in all frequencies, and the rest (14%) the U-shape. The age of onset ranged from 5-27 years with the average of 11.5 years.
Audiologists in Alaska’s Indian Health Services
from the ASHA Leader
During nearly 30 years as an audiologist with the Department of Health and Human Services (Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service), I’ve worked in areas ranging from the tropical waters of Florida to the snow and ice of Alaska.
Audiology in Mozambique
from the ASHA Leader
Malaria, 60 indigenous languages, and fundraising are just a few of the obstacles that audiologist Jackie L. Clark faces on her annual humanitarian visits to Mozambique to provide audiology services. There’s also the little matter that on her first visit 10 years ago, audiology did not even exist in this African country. As a professor at the University of Texas Callier Center (Dallas) and a managing editor of the International Journal of Audiology, Clark is well-equipped to take on the challenges.
Note: Another story on Dr. Clark and her work in Mozambique can be viewed on the Callier Center News page on COMD News (August 15 entry).
Audiologic management of a patient with a sudden hearing loss and vestibular schwannoma in the contralateral ear
from the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology
The case of a 59-year-old male with a sudden-onset sensorineural hearing loss in one ear and an incidental finding of an intracanalicular vestibular schwannoma in the contralateral, normally hearing ear is reported. The patient was successfully fitted with a hearing aid in the ear with the sudden hearing loss, which notably had very poor word recognition. The questionable value of word-recognition scores in determining hearing aid candidacy is discussed. The importance of considering nonaudiologic factors in determining hearing aid candidacy is also highlighted.
Audiological Application Criteria for Implantable Hearing Aid Devices: A Clinical Experience at the Nijmegen ORL Clinic
from Laryngoscope
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS:: To define audiological application criteria for different implantable hearing aid devices. STUDY DESIGN:: Retrospective study. METHODS:: Comparisons were made between aided speech recognition scores obtained at conversational level (65 dB) in patients with the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) (n = 22), the Otologics middle ear transducer (MET) (n = 10), conventional hearing aids (behind-the-ears) (n = 47), and cochlear implants (CIs) (n = 123). RESULTS:: In relation to hearing loss, only for mild hearing loss, speech recognition scores with VSB were comparable to that with conventional hearing aids. In the Otologics MET users, speech recognition scores were comparable with those of the conventional hearing aid users until a mean hearing loss of about 75 dB HL. At a sensorineural hearing loss of about 65 dB HL or more, the Otologics MET users have better speech recognition scores than the VSB users. For comparison with CI users, we followed a more conservative approach. In 90% of the users of a CI, speech recognition scores were better than those in: 1) patients with a conventional hearing aid and a mean hearing loss of about 95 dB HL or worse; 2) patients with an Otologics MET and a mean hearing loss of 85 dB HL or worse. CONCLUSIONS:: Patients fitted with a VSB or an Otologics MET middle ear implant do not demonstrate better speech recognition scores than patients fitted with today’s conventional hearing aids. Results might even been worse. However, the VSB and Otologics MET are a good option in patients with moderate (VSB) to severe (Otologics MET) sensorineural hearing loss and external otitis.
Effect on Directional Hearing in Hunters Using Amplifying (Level Dependent) Hearing Protectors
Abstract:
Background: Ear protectors have gained limited use in real hunting situations because they interfere with rifle handling, eye glasses, listening to conversation and environmental sounds, and impair sound localization ability. Level-dependent protectors have relieved some drawbacks, but sound localization is still affected by most protectors. A new, all-in-the-ear protector is promising, and the primary purpose of this study was to investigate influence of all-in-the-ear protectors on sound localization.
Study Design: Experimental laboratory study.
Setting: Clinical research center. Tertiary referral center.
Materials and Methods: Eleven normal-hearing hunters participated. Realistic sounds were presented from an array of 12 loudspeakers in an anechoic chamber, the sounds being gunshot, breaking twig, human footstep, and dog barking. Four listening conditions were tested: without hearing protection, level-dependent dichotic ear muffs, behind-the-ear protectors, and all-in-the-ear protectors.
Results: The unprotected condition gave best sound localization results. All-in-the-ear protectors showed slightly and nonsignificantly poorer results, whereas regular ear muffs and behind-the-ear protectors were significantly poorer in this respect. Gun shot, human footstep, twig breaking, and dog barking showed different results in falling order as regards the possibility to localize the sound source.
Conclusion: All-in-the-ear protectors preserve the sound localization ability well in contrast to the other tested protectors, which present confusions particularly around the transversal plane. The sound localization ability is markedly different for the 4 tested realistic sounds.
Speech therapists, audiologists are you listening?
from Topix.net
One out of every thousand children is hearing impaired in India, according to a WHO report.
Audiology Telepractice Overcomes Inaccessibility
from the ASHA Leader
“When distance and inaccessibility pose barriers to health care, the answer for some providers is telepractice—and audiologists are no exception. . . .”
Progressive Audiologic Tinnitus Management
from the ASHA Leader
“Audiologists are arguably the most qualified of all health care professionals to offer clinical services for tinnitus. Yet many audiologists lack a high level of training in appropriate interventions, leaving them wondering how to most effectively treat ‘tinnitus patients’.”
Audiologists warn staffing shortages to affect audiology services in N.L.
from MedBroadcast.com
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Association of Allied Health Professionals is calling on government and the Eastern Health Authority to address what it calls a growing crisis in audiology.
Diagnosis
from Seminars in Hearing
The goal of early identification of hearing loss in children should include the timely and accurate diagnosis of permanent unilateral hearing loss (UHL) of any degree and mild bilateral hearing loss (MBHL), which are common conditions of childhood. UHL and MBHL can result in developmentally significant conditions that can affect speech, language, learning, and social-emotional development. This article will review current assessment strategies that contribute to the goal of early and accurate diagnosis of UHL and MBHL. An overview of the components of the test battery includes electrophysiologic, otoacoustic, and behavioral methods while using ear-specific and frequency-specific strategies. Issues are discussed that may challenge audiologists during the identification process. The article concludes that though there are many unanswered questions in need of further research, current assessment strategies generally are effective and time and cost efficient in the identification of UHL and MBHL.
Prevalence and Effects
from Seminars in Hearing
ABSTRACT
Permanent unilateral hearing loss (UHL) of any degree and mild bilateral hearing loss (MBHL) are common conditions of childhood. When left undetected and in the absence of intervention, both UHL and MBHL can adversely affect development and can result in difficulties in speech, language, behavior, and academic achievement for some children. This article describes the prevalence of UHL and MBHL among newborns and school-aged children, the definitions of UHL and MBHL, and provides an overview of the effects of these hearing losses on children’s development. The article concludes that some children with UHL and MBHL are more at risk for problems than are others. Important questions for future research studies to ask are what subgroups of children with UHL and MBHL are likely to have difficulties with speech, language, reading, academic performance, and behavior; how do we identify these children; and what kinds of interventions are most appropriate for them?
2nd Phonak Virtual Conference
from the National Health Service (UK)
For further information contact:
ilearn@phonak.com
Where:Online
When:19 May 2008 10:00 - 21 May 2008 16:00
British Society of Audiology Annual Conference
from the National Health Service (UK)
For further information contact:
Jan Deevey
Tel. 0118 966 0622
or e mail jan@thebsa.org.uk
Where:Nottingham
When:09 Sep 2008 09:00 - 11 Sep 2008 16:30
Taking Audiology Issues to Capitol Hill
from the ASHA Leader
More than 28 million Americans—or one in every 10—is affected by hearing loss, a number expected to increase to 78 million by the year 2030. Advocacy ensures that public policies represent the rights and best interests of patients, consumers, and the professions. Please consider joining the effort in supporting our profession—ASHA’s legislative staff is ready to assist you!
Professional Shortages in Educational Audiology
from the ASHA Leader
According to ASHA guidelines “Audiology Service Provision in and for the Schools” (2002), the role of audiologists in the schools is defined by Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004). In these regulations, audiology includes the identification and diagnosis of hearing difficulties, re/habilitation, selecting and fitting of individual and group amplification systems, implementation of assistive technology devices and services, prevention activities, and counseling and guidance for children, parents, and teachers. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) also ensure that students with disabilities, including hearing loss, have access to classroom instruction even though they may not qualify for special education services based on test scores alone.
About the Callier Library
Callier Library is a satellite facility of The University of Texas at Dallas, McDermott Library. It is located at the Dallas, Texas campus of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. The library supports the graduate-level programs and faculty in communications sciences which are located at the center. It also supports the work of clinicians in hearing and speech disorders who work at both campuses of the Callier Center. One of the missions of Callier Library is to be a useful source of information to the international community of researchers and clinicians in communication disorders. To that end, this web log of citations and news in the field has been built and maintained by Allen Clayton, the Callier Center Librarian.
Note: These news items are gleaned from over 400 sources on the Internet and are provided as a service to our patrons. The University of Texas at Dallas does not guarantee the veracity, reliability or completeness of any information provided on this page, or in any hyperlink appearing on this page
