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Introduction: Cochlear implants may guarantee sound perception and the ability to detect speech at a close-to-normal hearing intensity; however, differences have been observed among implantees in terms of performance on discrimination tests and speech recognition. Objective: To identify whether patients with post-meningitis deafness perform similarly to patients with hearing loss due to other causes. Method: A retrospective clinical study involving post-lingual patients who had been using Nucleus-22 or Nucleus-24 cochlear implants for at least 1 year. These patients were matched with respect to age (± 2 years), time since the onset of deafness (± 1 year), and the duration of implant use with implant users who had hearing loss due to other causes. Speech perception was assessed using the Portuguese version of the Latin-American Protocol for the Evaluation of Cochlear Implants. Results: The sample consisted of 52 individuals (26 in each of the 2 groups). The post-meningitic group had a median of 18.5 active electrodes. The group with hearing loss due to other causes had a median of 21, but no significant statistical difference was observed (p = 0.07). The results of closed- and open-set speech recognition tests showed great variability in speech recognition between the studied groups. These differences were more pronounced for the most difficult listening tasks, such as the medial consonant task (in the vowel-consonant-vowel format). Conclusion: Cochlear implant recipients with hearing loss due to bacterial meningitis, who had been using the device for 1 year performed more poorly on closed- and open-set speech recognition tests than did implant recipients with hearing loss due to other causes.

Introduction: The majority of patients with hearing loss, including those with severe hearing loss, benefits from the use of hearing aids. The cochlear implant is believed to achieve better results in a child with hearing loss in cases where the severity of disability renders hearing aids incapable of providing adequate sound information, as they require sufficient cochlear reserve so that acoustic detention occurs. Objective: To assess if cochlear implants provide more benefit than conventional hearing aids in prelingually deaf patients. Summary of the findings: The study was a systematic review of scientific papers selected by a search of the SciELO, Cochrane, MEDLINE, and LILACS-BIREME databases. Among the 2169 articles found, 12 studies proved relevant to the issue and presented an evidence strength rating of B. No publications rated evidence strength A. Seven of the studies analyzed were prospective cohorts and 5 were cross-sectional studies. Conclusion: Based on several studies, cochlear implants were demonstrated to be the best current alternative for bilateral severe or profound hearing loss, achieving better results in speech perception and development in prelingual children when compared to conventional hearing aids.

Introduction: Clinically it was observed the contribution of the Nucleus 24 (N24) cochlear implant (CI) technology. The confirmation of this evidence would be important because it affects directly the indication criteria of the cochlear implant. Objective:To verify the contribution of the technology's updating of the CI about the auditory thresholds and the performance in the perception of sentences after 12 mouths of implant use. Method: A retrospective, cross-sectional study with database collection. Selection criteria: age equal or higher than 18 years old, CI N22 or N24 device use, auditory privation time until 20 years, which deafness etiology does not be meningitis. The sample was divided into G22 (N22 users), and G24 (N24 users). The groups were compared concerning the result in the sentences perception test in the silence and audiometric thresholds after 12 mouths of use. Results: From 84 adults patients selected, 54 filled the selection criteria, being 13 users of N22 and 41 users of N24. There was no difference statistically significant between preoperative auditory residues and time of auditory privation of the N22 and N24 users. The N24 users presented best averages in the audiometric thresholds, but the sentences perception tests in the silence do not indicated difference between models. Conclusion: The contribution of the technology was evidenced only in the auditory thresholds. News studies are being performed in order to evaluate the technology contribution in the speech perception in auditory situations more difficult.

Introduction: In the individuals with post-lingual deafness, one of the mostly questioned topics about the efficiency of the results of the implant is the time of hearing deprivation. In the cochlear implant group of HCFMUSP [Clinics Hospital of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo], we found implanted patients with long time sensorial deprivation, but not necessarily with poor audiological outcomes. Objective: To identify conditions of personality predicting good results in post-lingual patients with long-time hearing deprivation. Method: Retrospective study of cases series. We reviewed Wartegg's tests carried out prior to IC, in patients with post-lingual loss and who had hearing deprivation for longer than 10 years upon surgery. The test's results were related and compared to their auditory outcomes, two years after cochlear implant. Results: The deafness incidence and the time of deprivation do not interfere with the results. As for the conditions of personality, patients with good audiological results presented a well-structured ego, easiness for affective interchanges which favors the facing of difficult situations and concretization of ideas, besides spontaneity in the projection of their contents. Those who presented unsatisfactory results have not a very clear view of themselves, difficulty for interpersonal contacts, production according to their potential, poor level of assertion, self-aggressive tendencies in addition to no response according to the situations. Conclusion: The preoperative psychological evaluation may identify conditions of differentiated personality in patients with good audiological results, although they have a long-time deprivation.

Introduction: Cholesteatomas are cystic destructive lesions that affect any pneumatized area of the temporal bone. They can cause intracranial and extracranial complications. Objective: To register the patients with complicated cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media, who were interned in the otorhinolaryngology nursing of the Clinical Hospital of São Paulo, between the years of 2001 and 2008. Method: Retrospective study involving 34 patients with complicated cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media, who had been otorhinolaryngology nursing in the Clinical Hospital of the Medicine College of the University of São Paulo, from 2001 through 2008. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 7 to 83 years, with predominance of the masculine sex (76%). The extracranial complications were more frequent than the intracranial complications, and some patients presented both types of complication. All the patients received endovenous antibiotic, and only one patient was not submitted to surgical procedure. No patient died, and in the six-month follow-up no incapacitating severe neurological sequels occurred. Conclusion: The precocious and aggressive treatment of the complicated cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media diminishes the disease morbimortality.

Introduction: Open cavity mastoidectomy can generate some complications and mastoid cavity obliteration is a technique described and studied for the elimination of this cavity. Alloplastic materials have been studied in mastoid cavity obliteration surgery. Alpha-tricalcium phosphate bone cement is a material composed by calcium and phosphate and presents biochemical characteristics similar to the bone mineral phase. Objective: This study is aimed at evaluating the biocompatibility of alpha-tricalcium phosphate bone cement in the obliteration of the mastoid cavity in guinea pigs. Methods: 20 guinea pigs were submitted to surgical procedure. In 10 cement study group animals, the tympanic bulla was obliterated with alpha-tricalcium phosphate bone cement and in 10 guinea pigs (control group), the cavity was left unfilled. The animals were evaluated for clinical signs of material rejection and other complications. The temporal bones were removed and analyzed as for the type and degree of inflammatory response, as well as the degree of ossification. Results: In the animals that completed the study, there were no complications. There were not either the presence of foreign body inflammatory reaction in none of the samples of both groups. As for the ossification degree, the average ossification scores in the control group (3.5) was greater than that shown by the cement group (1.0). Conclusions: 1) The alpha-tricalcium phosphate bone cement is biocompatible in guinea pig's temporal bone 2) The alphatricalcium phosphate bone cement undergoes bone remodeling, but it doesn´t present osteoconductive properties.

Introduction: Auditory processing (AP) is the set of skills needed to understand auditory information. Objectives: To analyze the profile of the patients evaluated with AP during the period from 2010 to 2016 at the Phoniatrics Ambulatory. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective study by means of the survey of AP exams in the mentioned period. Casuistry divided into three age groups (WHO criteria, 2000). Evaluated among other characteristics: sex; main complaints that led to referral; and AP test results. Included: patients evaluated at the outpatient Clinic of Phoniatrics and referred for AP. Excluded: patients who did not complete the evaluation. Results: A total of 119 patients were evaluated, 50 children, 52 adolescents, and 17 adults, mostly male, in a ratio of 1:1.18. In 82% of the children, a frequent symptom was to ask to repeat what was said; 88.4% of adolescents did not seem to understand or heard poorly, 82.3% of adults had difficulty memorizing. The most altered test in all groups was the SSW (competitive left) in 52% of the children, 38.4% of the adolescents and 43.7% of the adults. In the PPS test, Nomination was altered in children and adolescents (respectively 43.7% and 30.7%) and Humming was altered in adults (31.2%). Conclusions: There was a predominance of male children and adolescents. More frequent symptoms were children asked to repeat what was said frequently, adolescents did not seem to understand or heard poorly, and adults had difficulty memorizing. Main altered tests: PPS (Appointment - children and adolescents, and Humming - adults) and SSW (competitive left). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) Test was instituted to detect cases with higher probability of hearing loss. Children may pass the test and have late or progressive deafness or even mild and moderate losses that are not observed. Objective: To discuss, through this report of case, the pertinent auditory exams in each situation and the orientation of the health professionals who first receive these patients. Case Description: The case shows the importance of hearing evaluation for diagnostic assistance. Case 1 was referred for language delay and hypothesis of hearing loss. He presented difficulties in social interaction and behavioral changes. Audiological evaluation was normal, being diagnosed as Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Comments: Patients with delayed communication may be difficult to assess, since many of the auditory exams are subjective and depend on the interaction of the examiner with the child. The reported case presents one of the several situations that professionals may face and reveals what examinations are appropriate for an adequate auditory assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]