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Andreas Büchner,
Thomas Lenarz,
Peter-Paul Boermans,
Johan H M Frijns,
Patrizia Mancini,
Roberto Filipo,
Claire Fielden,
Huw Cooper,
Martin Eklöf,
Anders Freijd, [......],
Olivier Sterkers,
Joachim Müller-Deile,
Petra Ambrosch,
Silke Helbig,
Bruno Frachet,
Stéphane Gallego,
Eric Truy,
Ellen Jeffs, Antonio Morant,
Jaime Marco
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ABSTRACT: The Harmony processor was found to be reliable, comfortable and offered a substantially increased battery life compared with the previous generation processor. No significant improvement in speech understanding with HiRes was demonstrated from objective measures, but the majority of subjects showed a clear subjective preference for the combination HiRes 120/Harmony processor.
To evaluate experience with the Harmony™ sound processor, together with the HiRes 120 strategy.
Postlingually deafened adults implanted with a CII or HiRes 90K were included and divided into three groups: (1) experienced users using the Platinum body-worn processor; (2) experienced users who had been using other processors; (3) new users with the Harmony processor from first fitting. The latter group entered a randomized crossover protocol where half were initially fitted with HiRes and half with HiRes 120. The initial strategy was used for 3 months and the alternative for a further 3 months. Speech perception tests and questionnaires were performed.
The study included 65 subjects. Implementing HiRes 120 was straightforward. The speech test group results did not show significant differences between HiRes and HiRes 120. However, the questionnaires showed significantly higher ratings for HiRes 120 in some instances. Subjects were highly satisfied with the Harmony processor.
Acta oto-laryngologica 11/2011; 132(2):179-87. · 0.98 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Cochlear implantation is a relatively safe surgery performed on profound bilateral hearing loss patients. Its surgical indications have increased and the age of implantation has decreased over the last years. As with any other surgery, it presents complications; device failure is one of the most important, given its potential risk for the need to explant and reimplant the device.
To evaluate cochlear implant complications, determine possible causes and discuss medical and surgical management.
A retrospective study of cochlear implants was performed. A total of 246 implants over an eleven-year period were evaluated. The sample consisted of 123 implants in patients younger than 10 years old, and 123 in those older than 10 years old; there were 138 males and 108 females. The devices implanted were 129 Advance Bionics, 95 MED-El, and 22 Cochlear. Complications and device failures were analysed.
A total of 28 complications were reported, which corresponds to 11.38% of all implants. Seven minor complications and 21 mayor complications were found. Device Failure was the most frequent complication, reported in 6.5% of all implants, and it was more frequent among children less than 10 years old.
Cochlear implant surgery has a low complication rate. Complications are usually resolved easily, but device failure continues to be a problem. It is important to keep studying the causes of such failure to find possible solutions that can lead to lowering and resolving its appearance.
Acta Otorrinolaringológica Española 10/2010; 61(6):412-7.
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Petra Ambrosch,
Joachim Müller-Deile,
Anje Aschendorff,
Roland Laszig,
Peter Paul Boermans,
Johan Frijns,
Patrick Boyle,
Barbara Kienast,
Andreas Büchner,
Thomas Lenarz, [......],
Silke Helbig,
Ellen Jeffs,
Suryn Lombaard,
Leah Meerton,
Jamie Marco, Antonio Morant,
Bernard Meyer,
Margaret Pickerill,
Zebunnisa Vanat,
Oliver Sterkers
Cochlear implants international 01/2010; 11 Suppl 1:406-11.
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Montserrat Rodríguez-Ballesteros,
Francisco J del Castillo,
Yolanda Martín,
Miguel A Moreno-Pelayo,
Constantino Morera,
Félix Prieto,
Jaime Marco, Antonio Morant,
Jaime Gallo-Terán,
Carmelo Morales-Angulo,
Cristina Navas,
Germán Trinidad,
M Cruz Tapia,
Felipe Moreno,
Ignacio del Castillo
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ABSTRACT: Inherited hearing impairment affects one in 2,000 newborns. Nonsyndromic prelingual forms are inherited mainly as autosomal recessive traits, for which 16 genes are currently known. Mutations in the genes encoding connexins 26 and 30 account for up to 50% of these cases. However, the individual contribution of the remaining genes to the whole remains undetermined. In addition, for most of the genes there is a need for studies on genotype-phenotype correlations, to identify distinctive clinical features which may direct the molecular diagnosis to specific genes. Here we present a mutation analysis and a genotype-phenotype correlation study on the gene encoding otoferlin (OTOF), responsible for the DFNB9 subtype of prelingual hearing impairment. Four novel mutations were identified: c.2122C>T (p.Arg708Ter), c.4275G>A (p.Trp1425Ter), c.4362+2T>G, and c.5860_5862delATC (p.Ile1954del). A total of 37 subjects with mutations in OTOF were studied clinically. They were phenotypically homogeneous, having profound hearing impairment with very early onset, as shown by pure-tone audiometry and auditory brainstem responses. Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography did not reveal any inner ear malformation. Unexpectedly, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) were present, either bilaterally or unilaterally in 11 subjects. Altogether, clinical data of these subjects met the diagnostic criteria of auditory neuropathy. A total of 10 subjects had been successfully provided with cochlear implants. The results of our study indicate that genetic diagnosis of subjects with auditory neuropathy and profound hearing impairment should be directed to the otoferlin gene. Our data are of concern to universal screening programs which use TEOAEs as the first detection test for hearing impairment in newborns, since this technique may overlook a nonnegligible proportion of cases.
Human Mutation 12/2003; 22(6):451-6. · 5.69 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Numerous experimental and clinical studies have suggested a critical or sensitive period in which the auditory pathway develops its greatest potential in terms of plasticity and learning. Early cochlear implantation performed in prelingual deaf children in this period provides a better prognosis for language acquisition. The aim of this study is to show the importance of cochlear implantation before this critical period ends.
We conducted an observational, longitudinal, retrospective study of 57 children suffering profound prelingual bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who had received Advanced Bionics implants at our ENT department between June, 1998, and November, 2006. Data on their audiometric thresholds, the disyllabic word test adapted to children, open-set sentences recognition test and the Nottingham scale were analyzed.
The analysis of audiometric thresholds showed no differences between children receiving the implants at different ages. However, statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were found in speech tests between groups of children receiving the implants before and after 4 years of age.
Our results are in line with other publications showing differences in auditory performance when comparing children with early implants versus children receiving the implants at a later age. We found the greatest differences at 4 years of age. Nevertheless, these findings should not exclude children over this age from implantation.
Acta Otorrinolaringológica Española 60(5):311-7.
