Practice Focus » Otology/Neurotology

Hearing Aid Update

Hearing aids-external electronic devices used to help individuals with hearing loss-traditionally consist of a microphone, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital signal processor, a digital-to-analog converter, and a receiver that delivers an acoustic signal into the external auditory canal. In 2008, 97% of all hearing aids sold used digital processing. Catherine V. Palmer, PhD, provides a review of current digital hearing aids.

Managed Correctly, Hearing Aid Dispensing Augments the Bottom Line

SAN DIEGO-Hearing aids can become a reliable source of ancillary income for otolaryngologists, according to four speakers in the miniseminar, Hearing Aids: The Dollars and Cents of Dispensing, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).

Low-Frequency Hearing Loss May Indicate Cardiovascular Disease

PHOENIX-Low-frequency hearing loss could be an early indicator that a patient has cerebrovascular disease or is at risk for cardiovascular (CV) disease. These are the key findings in a two-part study investigating whether there is a relationship between audiometric patterns and vascular disease.

Swimmer’s Ear: Be on the Alert For Complications

As spring spreads across the country, the change in temperature and slanting of the sun promises that summer is soon on its heels. For many primary care physicians and otolaryngologists, particularly those living in northern climes, that means an upsurge in people presenting with acute otitis externa, a condition that is estimated to afflict from 1 in 100 to 1 in 250 persons in the general population.

Superior Canal Dehiscence Linked to Abnormal ECoG Readings

While Paul Kileny, MD, PhD, of the University of Michigan Medical Schoo, was treating patients with superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD), he noticed something a bit strange: The patients had abnormal readings on electrocochleographic tests. And not just some of them-all of them did.

The Latest in Hearing Aid Technology

Open-ear fittings, wireless connectivity, and advances in computer chip circuitry are some of the recent advances in hearing aid technology that can make the devices more user-friendly and improve sound quality.