Active clinical trials for "Deafness"

The objective of this multisite study is to evaluate the performance of the Nucleus Freedom cochlear implant system in a large population of sequentially implanted pediatric subjects.

Two major limitations of existing audiometric newborn hearing screening programs are their inability to detect forms of deafness that are not expressed at birth and the low compliance with obtaining recommended audiologic confirmation and/or follow-up. Molecular genetic tests on blood spots from all newborns will identify those at risk for the most frequent causes of late-onset hearing loss and to add these infants to the group who should receive continued audiologic monitoring.

This study will try to identify the genetic causes of hereditary hearing loss or balance disorders. People with a hearing or balance disorder that affects more than one family member may be eligible for this study. They and their immediate family members may undergo some or all of the following procedures: Medical and family history, including questions about hearing, balance and other ear-related issues, and review of medical records. Routine physical examination. Blood draw or buccal swab (brushing inside the cheek to collect cells) - Tissue is collected for DNA analysis to look for changes in genes that may be related to hearing loss. Hearing tests - The subject listens for tones emitted through a small earphone. Balance tests to see if balance functions of the inner ear are associated with the hearing loss In one test the subject wears goggles and watches moving lights while cold or warm air is blown into the ears. A second test involves sitting in a spinning chair in a quiet, dark room. Photograph - A photograph may be taken as a record of eye shape and color, distance between the eyes, and hair color. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans - These tests show the structure of the inner ear. For CT, the subject lies still for a short time while X-ray images are obtained. For MRI, the patient lies on a stretcher that is moved into a cylindrical machine with a strong magnetic field. The magnetic field and radio waves produce images of the inner ear. The radio waves cause loud thumping noises that can be muffled by the use of earplugs.

Deafness significantly affects several auditory tasks of everyday life in children: understanding speech in quiet and noisy environments, spatial location of sounds ... These difficulties in locating sound sources are often ignored by parents and underestimated by children. Nowadays we there is specific tools to evaluate these problems in children. Indeed, there is a validated French questionnaire (Speech and Spatial Questionnaire SSQ) for adults that evaluates auditory abilities, including sound localization, in different tasks of daily life. Although robust, this questionnaire includes 49 questions and is too long for daily use in consultation. For this reason, Moulin et al validated in 2018 a short version of the SSQ questionnaire for adults with only 15 items. Based on this model, the aim of this study is to develop and test a paediatric questionnaire with 12 items to assess more specifically auditory difficulties in deaf children. This questionnaire will follow the validated frame of the adult SSQ questionnaire and will consist of three subscales: speech hearing (4 items), spatial hearing (4 items), and qualities of hearing (4 items). These 3 subscales are identical to those defined in long and short form pf the adult SSQ questionnaire.

An evaluation and comparison of results between the 'Accuscreen New' currently in use and an 'Accuscreen New' with different settings to see if the new settings reduce unnecessary referrals for babies from newborn hearing screening. Babies will be tested with the standard and modified equipment. Referrals for diagnostic testing will be based on the standard equipment. A comparison in referrals between the standard and modified equipment will be made.

The ability to predict post-operative outcomes after implantation is important for a number of reasons, including being able to advise candidates of appropriate expectations using evidence based guidance. The approved study involves investigation of the ability to predict outcomes in the implanted ear alone and in the best-aided binaural listening conditions, examining a number of measured factors both pre-, peri- and post-operatively. The study incorporates a range of functional outcome measures through questionnaires to ascertain social, functional and demographic factors that may be predictive of outcomes. Questionnaires are also administered to determine the degree of benefit obtained after implantation for each individual, since this forms a key component of providing pre-operative counselling to candidates.

As part of the proposed work, the investigators would like to examine whether there is a need to use a training video to train IDF combat soldiers to improve the use of ear plugs and to prevent hearing loss from exposure to noise, and to characterize the hearing impaired epidemiology of recruits and the basic rate of hearing loss During basic training.

The accurate assessment of auditory status is critical for planning treatment for Veterans with hearing loss to include medical and audiological management. Current physiologic tests of auditory function in the standard clinical audiological test battery for Veterans have limited sensitivity in detecting some middle-ear disorders, and do not include a direct test of cochlear function. Recent studies have shown promise for new wide-bandwidth (WB) tests of absorbance for improved sensitivity in the assessment of middle-ear function including acoustic reflex testing. The addition of WB tests of cochlear function included in the WB test battery provides an opportunity to improve audiological diagnosis of a range of hearing disorders in Veterans. The automation provided by the WB test battery could provide additional benefits in reducing the duration of the evaluation, leaving more time for evaluation of test findings and counseling. Results from this study may lead to the improvement of audiological care for Veterans with hearing loss.

Insertion of electrode array in scala vestibuli, rather than the preferred location within scala tympani, leads to loss of native hearing in those patients with isolated high-frequency hearing loss undergoing cochlear implantation.

The human brain is made up of two halves called hemispheres. Each half of the brain is responsible for processing different kinds of information. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that both the right and left hemispheres are involved when processing information given in American Sign Language (ASL). However, the study also showed that when processing spoken language, the left hemisphere was mostly involved. Researchers would like to find out more about how the brain processes American Sign Language (ASL). This study is designed to determine if the right hemisphere is necessary for normal understanding of ASL.