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Objective: To investigate the changes in sound localization ability in the horizontal plane after canaloplasty in unilateral congenital aural atresia (CAA) patients., Study Design: Prospective interventional study., Setting: Tertiary referral center., Patients: Twenty-eight patients with unilateral CAA were enrolled. All patients had unilateral conductive hearing loss., Interventions: Canaloplasty., Main Outcome Measures: Pure tone audiometry, sound localization test, and the Speech, Spatial, and Quality questionnaire (SSQ) were administered preoperatively, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. For the sound localization test, 8 loudspeakers were positioned in a circle at 45-degree intervals, and patients were instructed to identify the speaker from which sound was coming. Mean correct response rate and mean error degree were calculated for each patient. The correct lateralization rate to the ipsilesional/contralesional stimuli was also calculated., Results: Mean hearing threshold decreased from preoperatively 63.8 to 39.4 dB 12 months after canaloplasty. Mean correct response rate and error degree at preoperative evaluation were 26.0% and 60.7 degrees, respectively, and these were respectively improved to 58.5% and 27.8 degrees postoperatively. Respective mean correct lateralization rate to ipsilesional stimuli after canaloplasty improved from 20.6% to 84.0%, and that to contralesional stimuli slightly improved from 93.8% to 98.8%. Patients with good postoperative hearing (<40 dBHL) showed better sound localization results. In addition, self-assessment scores of spatial domain in the SSQ questionnaire were significantly improved after the operation., Conclusion: Sound localization performance improved significantly after canaloplasty. Canaloplasty could provide better localization benefit and subjective improvement in spatial sensation to unilateral CAA patients.

More people use the internet for medical information, especially YouTube. Nevertheless, no study has been conducted to analyze the quality of YouTube videos about tinnitus in Korea. This study aims to review the contents and quality of YouTube videos on tinnitus. The top 100 Korean YouTube videos on tinnitus were reviewed by a tinnitus expert. This study assessed video details: title, creator, length, and popularity indicators—subscribers, views, and likes. The contents of the video clips were analyzed to determine the relevance, understandability, actionability, and quality of information. Out of 100 tinnitus videos, 27 were created by otolaryngologists, 25 by traditional Korean medicine doctors, 25 by other medical professionals, and 3 by lay persons. Sensorineural tinnitus was frequently dealt, and hearing loss, stress, and noise were introduced as main causes of tinnitus. Otolaryngologists' videos covered verified treatments, but others suggested unproven therapies including herbal medicine or acupressure. Otolaryngologists' videos showed significantly higher understandability and quality of information compared to others (p < 0.001). This study found that tinnitus YouTube videos frequently present low-quality and incorrect material, which could have an adverse effect on patients. Results highlight the need for tinnitus specialists to provide accurate information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Korean government started to cover part of the price of hearing aids ($200) for individuals with hearing disabilities in 1997, and the reimbursement for a hearing aid increased in 2005 ($300) and again in 2015 ($1000). The aim of this study was to evaluate the annual trend of newly-registered individuals with hearing disability according to the changes of the hearing aid provision scheme. Subjects with newly-registered hearing disabilities were assessed using Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) data from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2018. A total of 271,742 individuals were newly registered during the index period. Records of hearing aid prescriptions and hearing aid subsidies were used to assess the adoption of hearing aids. This study also assessed the intervals between registration of hearing disability and the adoption of hearing aids, as well as the number of hearing aid subsidies provided. From 2004 to 2009 there was a slight increase in the number of individuals newly registered with hearing disabilities, and from 2011 to 2015, the number showed a tendency to decrease. Then, from 2015, the number of individuals with hearing disabilities increased abruptly, and the proportion of subjects receiving hearing aid subsidies also increased. Between 2004 and 2018, the time interval from hearing disability registration to hearing aid adoption showed a decreasing trend. We conclude that the annual number of individuals with newly-registered hearing disabilities is affected by the level of the hearing aid subsidy, and there is much unregistered or unaddressed hearing loss prior to the introduction of realistic hearing aid provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cochlear synaptopathy refers to a subclinical hearing pathology which could potentially explain hearing difficulties within the normal hearing threshold; it is also called "hidden hearing loss". We hypothesized that a temporary threshold shift in sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) also affects the function in the synapse. The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of cochlear synaptopathy in patients who had completely recovered from unilateral SSNHL Nineteen patients who had completely recovered from ISSNHL from January 2018 to June 2021 were assessed. Complete recovery was established by pure tone audiometry (PTA) 3 months after treatment, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery criteria. Subjects completed the pure tone audiometry, speech audiometry and auditory brain stem response (ABR) test, and completed a questionnaire regarding hearing loss after hearing recovery. The ABR amplitudes of wave I and wave V, and the ratio of wave I/V of both ears (recovered side and healthy side) were assessed. A visual analog scale (VAS) and a hidden hearing loss questionnaire were used to evaluate subjective hearing difficulty. The ABR waves I of the recovered ears had a significantly lower amplitude (p = 0.002) than those of the healthy side, whereas there was no difference in wave V (p = 0.985) or in the ratio of wave I/V (p = 0.107). Some patients still felt mild hearing difficulty although their PTA results were normal, but there was no clear relationship between the VAS score, wave I amplitude and speech recognition scores. The present findings point to the possible existence of cochlear synaptopathy in ears that have completely recovered from unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss. We suggest that the causes of cochlear synaptopathy and of idiopathic sudden hearing loss may have something in common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]