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Background and Aims: As the hearing aid technology progressively promotes toward replacing analog hearing aids with digital and programmable ones, comparison of the patient satisfaction of those kinds of hearing aids by means of a valuable tool seems so necessary. So, the aim of this study was to compare self-reported benefit of analog, digitally controlled programmable and digital hearing aids for reducing disability caused by hearing impairment in mild to severe sensorineural hearing impaired persons.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 90 persons with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss dividing into three groups: 43 subjects were fitted with digital, 15 with programmable, 23 with analog hearing aids. After pure tone audiometry, Abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit (APHAB) was completed before and one month after using hearing aids to determine the benefit of them.
Results: Global APHAB mean scores for digital, programmable and analog hearing aids were 49.05, 33.19 and 39.53, respectively. Ease of Communication subscale mean scores were 53.46 for digitals, 37.66 for programmables and 39.09 for analogs. Background noise subscale mean scores for digital programmable and analog hearing aids were 46.36, 25.53 and 35.31, respectively. Global and also both subscale mean scores showed significant difference between digital hearing aids and programmable and analog ones. There was no significant difference between reverberation subscale mean scores of three groups.
Conclusion: It seems digital hearing aids may be more beneficial to reduce disability caused by hearing loss than analog and programmable hearing aids are.

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Background and Aim:  Among all auditory assessment tools, auditory steady state response (ASSR) is a modern test. Modulation frequency for this test is usually 80 Hz. The purpose of this study, was to examined adult subjects with 40 Hz and 80 Hz ASSR and compare the results.
Materials and Methods: Thirty adult (60 ears) were evaluated by ASSR and PTA test, Results were divided into three groups: normal hearing, mild and moderate sensorineural hearing loss.
Results: In all groups, forty hertz ASSR thresholds were relatively closer to behavioral threshold than those of 80 Hz ASSR(p<0.05). Besides, the more severe hearing loss, the lower the difference between those two thresholds. Correlation coefficients were also higher in 40 Hz ASSR(p<0.05).
Conclusion: Frequency modulation thresholds with 40 Hz are more likely to be closer to the behavioral thresholds. Moreover, it has better results than the thresholds with 80 Hz.

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Background and Aim: Recently, more attention was paid to the direct protective effect of aldosterone against hearing impairment in elderly patients. The aim of this study was determination of possible correlation between serum aldosterone level and hearing condition of elderly patients that referred to the Otolaryngology services of Hamadan in 2005-2006.

Methods: In this case control study 54 (27 males,27 females) persons above 60 years old were evaluated. They contained twenty eight cases with normal hearing and 26 cases with presbycusis. Persons with any abnormal biochemical finding or history of conditions that predispose them to the sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) were excluded. In both groups serum level of sodium, potassium and aldosterone were measured and hearing condition evaluated by puretone, speech and immitance audiometry.

Results: Statistical relationship between serum aldostrone level and hearing condition, sex, configuration of audiogram and speech discrimination score (SDS) were not significant. In addition, no significant relationship between sodium and potassium levels with hearing condition was found (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study could not confirm protective effect of aldostrone against presbycusis. This discrepancy may originate from epidemiologic differences, laboratory errors or small sample size.

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Background and Aim: Turner syndrome is the most common sex chromosome abnormality in females, affecting an estimated 3% of all conceiving females. Otologic disease is a common problem in Turner syndrome patients that is due to a combination of small dysfunction Eustachian tube, palatal dysfunction and cochlear malformation.
Methods: This study assessed the otologic and audiologic characteristics of a group of Turner syndrome patients. We studied 40 Turner patients aged 10 to 20 years (mean age: 15.84 years, SD=2.67). Pure tone audiometry was carried out for all of them.
Results: Forty percent of the patients reported a history of middle ear disease. Analysis of audiometric data in 40 patients tested reveals normal hearing in 47.5%, pure sensorineural hearing loss in 32.5%, pure conductive hearing loss in 17.5% and mixed hearing loss in 2.5% of patients.
Conclusion: Careful follow up during early childhood of children with Turner syndrome is necessary to detect middle ear disease and prevent the probable sequel. However, long term periodic follow up is mandatory even after resolution of middle ear disease to detect sensorineural hearing loss.

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Background and Aim: It is well established that adult sensory systems can reorganize following environmental changes hearing aid stimulates a deprived auditory system resulting in changes in received stimuli and may be capable of inducing changes within the auditory system abilities such as difference limen for intensity. Hearing aid fitting induces perceptual and physiological modifications. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hearing aid use on the intensity discrimination performance.
Methods: The study group consisted of 30 monaural users of hearing aid with symmetrical moderate or moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears (15 males, 15 females), aged 45-65 years old with the mean of 57.73 and SD of 8.12 years. difference limen for intensity was measured at two frequencies, 500 Hz, 2000 Hz, and two intensity levels (10 dB SL, 40 dB SL). The results of fitted ears were compared with not-fitted ones.
Results: The results of the study showed better difference limen for intensity scores at high frequency and high intensity levels. A significant lower difference limen for intensity in fitted ears was observed compared with not-fitted ears (p<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the difference limen for intensity in the two groups at 500 Hz with 10 dB SL intensity (p=0.132).
Conclusion: Hearing aid use affects intensity discrimination performance. Besides, perceptual modification following use of hearing aid is confirmed by our study which suggests a possible functional plasticity due to hearing aid use. However, further

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Background and Aim: The auditory steady state response is a modern test for estimating hearing thresholds, especially in difficult to test individuals . However, there are few bone conduction auditory steady state response data, particularly for individuals with hearing loss. The objective of this study was to investigate bone conduction auditory steady state response thresholds in individuals with sensorineural hearing loss and normal hearing.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 10 individuals with normal hearing and 10 with sensorineural hearing loss at the age of 15-30 years were selected by non-probability sampling. Auditory steady state response and pure tone audiometry to bone conduction stimuli in 500 and 2000 Hz were recorded in two groups. Paired and independent t-test were used to compare data between the groups.

Results: There was low correlation between bone conduction auditory steady state response and pure tone audiometry in both groups (p>0.05 for both). The difference of behavioral thresholds and auditory steady state response in 500 Hz was higher than 2000 Hz in both groups (p=0.033 for normal hearing and p=0.017 for sensorineural hearing loss groups). Comparison of these results showed significant differences between the two groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion: In both groups, there was low correlation between bone conduction auditory steady state response and pure tone audiometry thresholds. In individuals with sensorineural hearing loss and in higher frequencies , bone conduction auditory steady state response thresholds was closer to pure tone audiometery thresholds.

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Background and Aim: The cochlea and vestibule are related developmentally. Therefore individuals with severe to profound sensourineural hearing loss have additional risk for vestibular dysfunction. The aim of this study was to assess saccular function using vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) in children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) who are candidates for cochlear implant.

Methods: Thirty children (17 males and 13 females) with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in the age range of 3-15 years participated in this study. 17 children (9 males and 8 females) with normal hearing in the age range of 3-13 years participated as the control group. All children in each group were evaluated for saccular function by performing vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials in both ears.

Results: Comparison of mean threshold values between the two groups revealed statistically significant difference (p<0.05). In addition, comparison of mean amplitude values between the two groups revealed statistically significant difference (p<0.05). However, comparison of p1 3 and n23 latency values between the two groups revealed no significant difference (p>0.05). Out of the 30 children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss eight children (26.66%) had absent VEMP responses in both ears.

Conclusion: Children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who are candidates for cochlear implant ha d more potential for saccular abnormalities compared to normal-hearing children. Therefore, assessment of vestibular function is very important in this population.