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Hearing Loss Part 2
Robert T. Sataloff, MD, is a professor of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Jefferson Medical College, and an adjunct professor of otorhinolaryngology at the University of Pennsylvania. Here, he discusses the anatomy and physiology of the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear, he says, is divided into the vestibular labyrinth and the cochlea; in the latter, the organ of Corti functions as the switchboard of the auditory system. In this very comprehensive review, Dr. Sataloff poses and answers 35 questions on hearing loss. This lecture and the post-test is worth 1.5 credit hours. The author notes that hearing loss can be conductive, sensorineural, central, functional, or a mixture of all these. Conductive hearing loss, he says, is generally curable, while sensorineural hearing loss is mostly incurable and is described as "one of the most challenging problems in medicine." In central hearing loss the damage occurs at some point between the auditory nuclei in the medulla oblongata and the cortex of the brain. In functional hearing loss, there is usually some underlying psychological or emotional problem. The lecture continues with a discussion of the symptoms that occur in these categories of hearing loss... and goes on to ask, and answer, 35 questions. Among these are: What should patients expect from otologists? What is an audiogram? What is an acoustic neuroma? Some of the answers to these questions include explanations of serous otitis media, myringotomy, tinnitus, and such tests as electronystagmography, computerized dynamic posturography, brainstem-evoked response audiometry, and tympanometry. Dr Sataloff also notes how noise is, understandably, a major course of hearing loss. Some other causes include acoustic neuroma, syphilis, lyme disease, and other systemic infections including hypothyroidism, diabetes, herpes, measles, and even influenza. Moreover, 40% of diabetic patients have some degree of hearing loss. The first principle in treating hearing loss, says the author, is accurate diagnosis. He concludes with a discussion of cochlea implants, hearing aids, various types of surgery and the importance of preventive medicine. Read More from Dr. Sataloff and the Journal of Voice. For more information on voice and hearing research, visit The Voice Foundation (www.voicefoundation.org) or The American Institute for Voice and Ear Research (www.aiver.org). |
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