Audiology

Hearing status survey in define MS patients

Davood Rostamian

Objective: This study was aimed to survey the hearing status of the patients with definite MS. The results of this study may help to confirm the diagnosis and to improve our knowledge of different aspects of this disease and to optimize the treatment and rehabilitative techniques.
Material & Methods: This study is performed in audiology clinic of rehabilitation science faculty of Iran medical science university as an assesive-analytic procedure in winter of 2000 in 40 MS patients (Referred from the MS clinic of Shohada Hospital) of 20 to 45 years old. All the patients have no history of otologic problems. The results of conventional audiologist tests (PTA, SRT, SDS, imittance audiometry) and ABR findings of MS patients were compared to the results of control group.
Results: The differences between the means of low, high and mid frequency PTAve in MS patients and control group were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between two groups in the speech test&aposs results, statistically. The results of ART test show statistically significant differences between experimental and control groups. The only differences in ABR results were seen for the absolute latency of the wave V and IPLs (I-V, III-V) between two groups. The amplitude ratio of V/I in MS patients 1.5 was within the normal range (0.5 to 2). There was a statistically significant relationship between mean of mid frequency PTAve and prolongation of absolute latency of the wave V. The relationship between ABR and SDS and also between ART and ABR were not statistically significant. Finally, the results of this study suggested that low, high and mid frequency PTAve, ART, absolute latency of the wave V, and IPLs III-V, I-V can be used ascomplementory method to confirm the diagnosis of MS with other conventional methods such as: MRI, CSF analysis, SEP and VEP.

An Alternative Test for PTA in Children Aged 2-5 Years Old

Masoud Eslami Vazilaei

Method & Material: This descriptive analytical survey was performed in pars Hospital, Tehran on 45 children (22 girls, 23 boys aged 2-5 years, 1377-78 (solar).Finding: In 2-3 years old group, accurdacy of PTA test (87/7%) was more than FNS test (66%). In 3-5 years old group, Specificity & NPV showed no significant differences, between two test.
Conclusion: Since the PTA showes greater possibility of false positive response than FNST, the accuracy of the latter test is greater the PTA.

Speech in noise test in 7-9 years old school age children with Otitis Media with effusion in 12 and 13 areas in Tehran, 1378-79

Elahe Shojaei Chagharvand

Method & Material: This study examined the speech in noise test in 60 school age children with otitis media with effusion and 30 school age children with normal hearing in +5, 0 and -5 dB signal to noise ratio. The mean of age was 8.05 in study group and 8.25 in control group. Speech in noise test were performed for study group and control group in quiet an in noise. Speech noise presented ipsilaterally in both groups.Finding: The correlation of mean of SDS in +5, 0 and -5 dB signal to noise ratio between study group and control group, is significant.

Differential impairment of noun and verb consequent to LH lesions in Persian Aphasic patients

Rabeeh Ariaei

The major focus of this research is on the differential disruption of language abilities subsequent to brain damages as they relate to site and size of lesion, especially left hemisphere lesions which disrupt the production and processing of "Nouns" vs. "Verbs" as two functionally different lexical categories. Several clinical as well as experimental studies reported on different language have shown that nouns and verbs can be independently disrupted due to brain damage. A prevalent impairment in naming actions (Producing verbs) is reported in non-fluent aphasic patients, with lesions involving left frontal lobe, whereas a selective in naming objects (Producing nouns) has been observed in amnesic patients, with lesions involving the temporal lobe and the temporal lobe and the posterior association aresas. This research is a theoretical and fundamental based on descriptive and analytical method. The aphasic data in this research were obtained by assessing each patient&aposs aphasic symptoms using a standard Persian aphasia test (Paradis, Nilipoure, Paribakht, 1989) as well as post-test analysis of each patient&apos connected descriptive speech. The subjects were selected form among aphasics who referred to speech therapy centers in Tehran during a pe5iod of one year since autumn 1999. The subjects selected in the study were a homogenous group with left hemisphere lesions due to CVA. They were educated adult right handed. Speakers of Persian without any risk factor such as nicotine, alcohol or any addiction and diabetes with no gross depression or anxiety problems or face and oral paralysis and hemiaopsia. The subjects in this study comprised to adults ranging between 33 and 76 years of age. The results indicated that there are significant correlation between: 1) The production of nouns and left hemisphere lesion. 2) The production of verbs and left hemisphere lesion. 3) Brain lesion and language deficits. 4) The site of lesion and language abilities. Although the data are limited and the generalization of the study has certain restrictions, the present data indicate some specific and reliable avidence on the selective impairment of nouns and verbs due to different lesions in the left hemisphere.

Hearing evaluation of Thalassemic patients with Desferrioxamine therapy in Qazvin Thalassemia Center and Tehran pediatrics' Medical Center

Ali Reza Karimi Yazdi

Objective: The purpose of study was identify hearing loss in thalassemic patients with history of Desferrioxamine (DFO) therapy. This study was carried out in a cross-sectional descriptive survey on 195 thalassemic patients (3-30 years old) in Gazvin Thalassemia center and Tehran pediatrics&apos medical center.
Methods: The patients underwent routine otolaryngologic history and physical examination, along with standard pure-tone audiometry.
Results: Hearing loss was present in 43.1% of patients. 16% of patients had conductive hearing loss and 4.6% of patient had sensory neural hearing loss. 22.5% of thalassemic patients had high-frequency sensory neural hearing loss and more importantly, high-frequency hearing loss attributable to Desferrioxamine ototoxicity was present in 12% of patients. Furthermore, these evaluations showed that there is a significant relationship between hearing loss and DFO usage and hearing loss too. There is no significant relationship between hearing loss and ferritin level between hearing loss and age of DFO usage too.
Conclusion: Management of these patients requires proper dosing of Desferrioxamine, along with regular otolaryngolgic and audiometric follow-up in order to prevent the effect of ototoxicity of desferal.

Neurofibromatosis Type II

Akram Kasiri Ghahi

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) is an inherited disease which is mainly characterized by the development of multiple schwannomas and meningiomas. Incidence of the disease is about 1 in 60,000. Affected individuals inevitably develop schwannomas, typically affecting both auditory-vestibular nerve which lead in hearing loss and deafness. The majority of patients present with hearing loss, which is usually unilateral at onset and may be accompanied or preceded by tinnitus. Vestibular schwannomas may also cause dizziness or imbalance as a first symptom. Nausea, vomiting or true vertigo are rare symptoms, except in late-stage disease. NF II is caused by a defect in the gene that normally gives rise to a product called Merlin or Schwannomin, located on chromosome 22. Diagnosis is based on clinical and neuroimaging studies. Presymptomatic genetic testing is an integral part of the management of NF2 families. Prenatal diagnosis and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is possible.

Arachnoid cysts in cerebellopontine angle: a case report

Saeed Farahani

Arachnoid cysts are cerebrospinal fluid-filled sacs that are located between the brain or spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane, one of the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. They are usually located within subarachnoid space with a membrane consisting of arachnoid cells and collagen fibers and are filled with CSF. It is naturally considered as a congenital cyst because of its common appearance in the infancy. Typical symptoms of an arachnoid cyst around the brain include headache, nausea and vomiting, seizures, hearing and visual disturbances, vertigo, and difficulties with balance and walking. MRI and CT can help in diagnosis. Arachnoid cysts are benign and the vast majority remains asymptomatic throughout life. If they are deemed to be causing symptoms then surgery can be contemplated. Here, we are aimed at describing a case of Arachnoid cysts involved cerebellopontine angle that has been reffered to audiology clinic in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The experiments and results of radiographic techniques has been brought here.

The frequency of hearing loss and hearing aid prescription in the clients of the Avesina Education and Health Center, Audiometry Clinic, 1377

Abbas Bastani

Objective: Determining the frequency of hearing disorders and hearing aid using in the clients referring to the Avesina education and health center, audiometry clinic, 1377.
Method and Material: This is an assesive-descriptive survey that conducted on more than 2053 (1234 males and 819 females) who referred for audiometry after examination by a physician. Case history, otoscopy, PTA, speech and immittance audiometry were conducted for all the clients. The findings were expressed in tables and diagrams of frequency. The age and sex relationship. All types of hearing losses and the number of the hearing-impaired clients need a hearing aid were assessed.Findings: 56% of this population were hearing-impaired and 44% had normal hearing were hearing. 60% were males and 40% females. Of the hearing-impaired, 44% had SNHL, 35.6% CHL and 8.2% mixed hearing loss. The hearing aid was prescribed for 204 (83 females and121 males) if they need that only 20 females and 32 males wear it.
Conclusion: It this sample, SNHL is of higher frequency. According to this survey, the more the age, the more the hearing aid is accepted (85% of wearer are more than 49) the prevalence of the hearing impaired males are more than females (60% versus 40%). Only 25% of the hearing-impaired wear hearing aids.

Temporary threshold shift by otoacoustic emission in a group of 18-25 years old with normal hearing

Afsaneh Dousti

Method & Material: This study was performed on 36 normal-hearing subjects aged 18-25 years for survey of temporary threshold shift (TTS) by transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. Finding: Noise can affect the pure-tone thresholds and (TEOAEs) amplitudes. When cochlea affected by noise, evaluating TEOAE is more suitable than pure-tone audiometry. Because of this test, is objective an unaffected by attention and alertness and can be evaluated in difficult to test subject and also have high carefulness and can be performed in a quiet, but not sound-proof room.

Review of 50 years research about speech reading

Gita Movallali

Watching a speaker's lips is like hearing speech by eye instead of by ear and markedly improves speech perception. In this review I summarise studies over the last sixty years about lip reading, it's issues, methodological problems, experimental and co relational studies, issues of cerebral lateralization, localization and cognitive and neuro psychologic function. Several studies on speech reading in general suggest that hearing impaired groups actually do not possess superior speech reading skills compared to normal controls. With function magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) it was also found that the linguistic visual cues are sufficient to activate auditory cortex in the absence of auditory speech sounds. Here I presented data and arguments about all aspects of the phenomenon of lip reading and it's use in rehabilitation audio logy