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Biomedical subjects

B J Gantz

Publications and source records attributed to B J Gantz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Psychological change over 54 months of cochlear implant use.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term psychological outcome of postlingually deafened adults who received multichannel cochlear implants and to relate the psychological outcome to audiological outcome. DESIGN: Thirty-seven recipients of multichannel cochlear implants who participated in a prospective clinical trial completed psychological assessments before implantation and at regularly scheduled follow-ups through 54 mo of implant use. Standardized measures of affect, social function, and personality were used, and scores on these measures were correlated with asymptotic scores on several audiological measures. RESULTS: Evidence of significant improvement on measures of loneliness, social anxiety, and distress were obtained within a year after implantation and throughout the duration of the follow-up period. For measures of assertiveness and marital satisfaction, improvement was apparent only after long-term implant use. Although favorable changes on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Depression Scale were evidenced only in the initial follow-up period, improvements on the MMPI Paranoia and Social Introversion Scales persisted throughout the 54 mo follow-up. CONCLUSION: Multichannel cochlear implant use is associated with long-term psychological benefit. Correlations between audiological outcome and psychological outcome, however, suggested that the relation between audiological benefit and psychological benefit is not simple.

Adult↗

Preliminary experience with neural response telemetry in the nucleus CI24M cochlear implant.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare recordings of the electrically evoked whole nerve action potential (EAP) made using the reverse telemetry system of the Nucleus CI24M device with those recorded from individuals who use the Ineraid cochlear implant system. STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected in a prospective fashion from Nucleus CI24M cochlear implant users and compared with retrospective data collected from patients who use the Ineraid device. SETTING: All data were collected at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. PATIENTS: Data are reported from 8 patients who use the Nucleus CI24M cochlear implant and 20 patients who use the Ineraid cochlear implant system. INTERVENTIONS: The interventions described in this study were diagnostic in nature. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: EAP growth and refractory recovery data are reported. EAP thresholds recorded from patients who use the Nucleus CI24M device also are compared with behavioral thresholds for the stimulus used to evoke the EAP as well as the stimulation levels needed to program the speech processor. RESULTS: EAP morphology, growth, and refractory recovery functions recorded using the Nucleus CI24M reverse telemetry system compared favorably with similar measures recorded from Ineraid cochlear implant users. CONCLUSIONS: Reasonable EAP responses can be recorded using the Nucleus CI24M device. More data are needed to determine whether the information about neural responsiveness available with this device will be clinically useful.

Cochlear Implantation↗

Single-channel to multichannel conversions in adult cochlear implant subjects.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare open-set speech perception of single-channel with multichannel cochlear implants in the same ear of postlingually deafened adults. STUDY DESIGN: The study design was a retrospective case and literature review. SETTING: The study was conducted at a tertiary referral center with an associated veterans administration hospital. PATIENTS: Postlingually deafened adults with at least 6 months of experience with a single-channel cochlear implant were studied. INTERVENTION: Replacement of a single-channel with a multichannel cochlear implant in the same ear was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Open-set word and sentence perception scores at least 6 months after single-channel implantation and multichannel reimplantation were measured. RESULTS: Six of six patients had substantial improvement in open-set speech recognition after reimplantation of the same ear. CONCLUSIONS: Removal of a functioning single-channel implant and replacement with a multichannel device are appropriate in postlingually deafened adults who desire better speech recognition.

Adult↗

Speech perception by prelingually deaf children using cochlear implants.

In this investigation we measured the performance of 50 prelingually deaf children on several speech perception tests. Children were from 2 to 15 years of age, and some children were tested with as much as 5 years of cochlear implant use. Speech perception tests included the recognition of stress pattern, consonants, vowels, words, and sentences. The audiovisual perception of consonants was also measured. Average results indicated that gains were being made in the perception of stress and words in a closed-set context within 1 year from implantation. The perception of words in an open-set context demonstrated much slower increases over time. Large individual differences were observed. Some preliminary data suggest that children who receive implants before the age of 4 years obtain higher scores, on average, than children who receive implants after the age of 5 years. Some children become part-time users or nonusers of their cochlear implants. The average results from 18 congenitally deaf children were significantly higher than the average results from 12 children with prelingually acquired deafness after 3 years of implant use. Information on vowel and consonant features shows increases in performance after 2 years of cochlear implant use, with the exception of the place feature. For this feature, no changes were observed. Vision-alone testing indicated that lipreading performance increased over time. An audiovisual enhancement provided by the cochlear implant was observed for all features.

Adolescent↗

Appropriateness of magnetic resonance imaging in sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss is an enigmatic condition of unknown cause. Although the treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss is controversial, the evaluation for a cause should not be. All patients are evaluated with a complete history, physical examination, audiologic examination, and blood draw to evaluate complete blood count, general chemistry screen, thyroid function test results, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbance. Magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium contrast is essential in the evaluation of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss, even if there is a complete response to either treatment or no treatment. During the last year we treated 16 patients for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss with our protocol of intravenous dextran/Hypaque or oral high-dose steroids. Fifteen patients were evaluated immediately before treatment with a magnetic resonance imaging scan. An additional patient had been treated successfully with high-dose steroids at an outside institution and came in for an evaluation. Of these 16 patients, 3 (18.75%) were found to have significant pathologic conditions on magnetic resonance imaging scan. The patient who had been treated successfully on the outside was noted to have a 5-mm intracanalicular acoustic neuroma, the second patient was found to have a multiple sclerosis lesion at the level of the superior olive, and the third patient, who had had a normal magnetic resonance imaging scan 18 months previously, was now found to have a large 4- to 5-cm meningioma in the cerebellopontine angle. We believe it is essential that all patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss be evaluated at some point during their treatment with a magnetic resonance imaging scan with gadolinium contrast.

Adult↗

Cochlear implant use by prelingually deafened children: the influences of age at implant and length of device use.

This study focused on long-term speech perception performances of 34 prelingually deafened children who received multichannel cochlear implants manufactured by Cochlear Corporation. The children were grouped by the age at which they received cochlear implants and were characterized by the amount of time they used their device per day. A variety of speech perception tests were administered to the children at annual intervals following the connection of the external implant hardware. No significant differences in performance are evident for children implanted before age 5 compared to children implanted after age 5 on closed-set tests of speech perception ability. All children demonstrated an improvement in performance compared to the pre-operative condition. Open-set word recognition performance is significantly better for children implanted before age 5 compared to children implanted after age 5 at the 36-month test interval and the 48-month test interval. User status, defined by the amount of daily use of the implant, significantly affects all measures of speech perception performance except pattern perception.

Adolescent↗

Performance over time of adult patients using the Ineraid or nucleus cochlear implant.

This study examined the average and individual performance over time of 49 adult cochlear implant subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive either the Ineraid cochlear implant, with analog processing, or the Nucleus cochlear implant, with feature-extraction processing. All subjects had postlingual profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and received no significant benefit from hearing aids before implantation. Group data were examined in two ways. First, only subjects who had complete data over the test period were examined. Second, an analysis of all available data was carried out by mixed linear-model analysis. In this analysis, to account for missed follow-ups at the planned intervals, data consisting of the observations closest in time to the planned test times were modeled by natural splines with knots at the planned follow-up times. Contrasts between all pairs of planned follow-up times for each device were tested, as were contrasts between devices at each planned follow-up time. Results indicated little difference between the performance of the Ineraid and Nucleus subjects in their level of performance or their rate of learning. Postimplantation performance was typically superior to preimplantation performance within 9 months, and continued to improve up to 18-30 months depending on the speech perception measure. In some subjects, improvements in speech perception measures were observed up to four or five years postimplantation. There was also evidence that three subjects had a decrement in overall speech perception performance, although their postimplantation scores were always higher than their preimplantation scores. In at least one subjects this was likely a result of age-related cognition decrements.

Adult↗

Speech perception by prelingually deaf children and postlingually deaf adults with cochlear implant.

We review recent data from the University of Iowa obtained from prelingually deaf children over 3 years using feature-extraction versions of the Nucleus cochlear implant, and from postlingually deaf adults using the compressed-analog Ineraid, a feature-extraction version of Nucleus, and a continuous interleaved sampling version of the Clarion cochlear implant. Both adults and children were followed over a 3-year period. Average results are shown where each patient is represented at each point in time. Results for the children show continued improvement over the 3-year period, with some children obtaining maximum scores possible on the easier closed-set tests. Substantial improvements in audiovisual enhancement were provided by the cochlear implant. Results from the adults show maximum gains within the first year of implant use, although some patients show continued improvements after 2 years of implant use. Adults who have been deaf for several years and who receive their implant when they are older tend not to perform as well as adults who have been deaf for only a few years or receive their implant when they are younger.

Adult↗

Performance of 2- and 3-year-old children and prediction of 4-year from 1-year performance.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether children perform better when they receive cochlear implants when they are 2 to 4 years of age than when they are older, and to determine whether 4-year performance can be predicted from 1-year results. METHOD: Children in two age groups (2 to 4, 4 to 9 years) were tested for performance, and the age groups were compared. Children were also tested 1 and 4 years after implantation. RESULTS: The results suggest that the "implanted young" group scored higher than the "implanted old" group after 36 months, and that 1-year performance is helpful in predicting 4-year performance. CONCLUSION: It may be desirable for children to undergo implantation when they are under 2 years of age, provided that appropriate selection criteria can be determined.

Child↗

Systematic approach to electrode insertion in the ossified cochlea.

Ossification of the fluid spaces of the cochlea occurs often in candidates for cochlear implantation, especially children. When noted before surgery on computerized tomography, ossification previously was thought to contraindicate cochlear implantation because of possible mechanical obstruction and uncertainty about the level of function that could be achieved by stimulating an ossified cochlea. However, during the preceding 6 years, techniques have been developed that permit implantation in ossified cochleas. We present a systematic approach that has been developed to treat the three clinically important categories of cochlear ossification: round window niche obliteration, inferior segment obstruction, and upper segment obstruction. Case reports are presented for each of these three drill-out procedures, demonstrating results often similar to those expected for implantation of the nonossified cochlea.

Adult↗

A within-subject comparison of adult patients using the Nucleus F0F1F2 and F0F1F2B3B4B5 speech processing strategies.

This study compares the Nucleus F0F1F2 and F0F1F2B3B4B5 (also known as "Multipeak") of "Mpeak") processing schemes in 17 patients wearing the Mini Speech Processor. All patients had at least 18 months implant experience using the F0F1F2 processing strategy. For this study, they were switched to the F0F1F2B3B4B5 processing strategy for 3 months. They then returned to using the F0F1F2 strategy for 3 months, then used the F0F1F2B3B4B5 strategy again for 3 months, and lastly used the F0F1F2 strategy for 3 months. Performance' was evaluated with both schemes after each interval, using speech recognition tests and subjective ratings. Overall, differences between the results for the two processing schemes were not large. Average performance was somewhat better for the F0F1F2B3B4B5 strategy for word and sentence identification, but not for any of the other speech measures. Superior performance was observed in 8 patients with the F0F1F2B3B4B5 strategy. However, 6 of the 8 individuals were significantly better on only one of the six speech measures in the test battery. The other 2 patients performed better on two of the speech measures. Superior performance was also observed in 3 patients with F0F1F2 strategy for consonant recognition. For the remaining patients, there was little difference in their performance with the two strategies. Information transmission analyses indicated that the F0F1F2B3B4B5 strategy transmitted consonant duration and frication cues more efficiently than F0F1F2. Experience with one strategy appeared to benefit performance with the other strategy.

Adult↗

Initial independent results with the Clarion cochlear implant.

OBJECTIVE: This paper reports some preliminary findings from patients, implanted at the University of Iowa, using the Advanced Bionics Clarion cochlear implant (version 1.0). We compared the performance of patients using both simultaneous analog and nonsimultaneous pulsatile processing strategies. The performance of Clarion patients was also compared with a group of patients who were using either the feature-extraction Nucleus cochlear implant or the compressed-analog Ineraid cochlear implant. DESIGN: One aim was to compare the analog and pulsatile stimulation in 19 patients using the Clarion implant. This aim could be accomplished only partially because of difficulties encountered in adequately fitting patients with the analog strategy. A second aim was to compare the Clarion users' performance with feature-extraction Nucleus and compressed-analog Ineraid patients. Comparisons were made with all patients having 9 mo experience postimplantation. RESULTS: Subjects performed better using the pulsatile mode compared with the analog mode. All subjects chose to use the pulsatile strategy after the first 3 mo of the study. Results comparing performance at 9 mo with our compressed-analog Ineraid and feature-extraction Nucleus patients indicated, in general, better average performance for the Clarion users. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the pulsatile version of the Clarion cochlear implant typically produces superior performance to the analog version of that device at this stage in its development. After 9 mo of experience, users of the Clarion implant are performing better than are users of the feature-extraction Nucleus and compressed-analog Ineraid cochlear implants with comparable amounts of experience.

Adult↗

Results and complications from acoustic neuroma excision via middle cranial fossa approach.

The middle cranial fossa (MCF) approach for acoustic neuromas has been criticized for limited exposure, anatomic surgical difficulty, and increased risk to facial nerve and temporal lobe. From 1986 to the present, 49 patients' acoustic neuromas were removed via the MCF approach. Hearing was preserved or improved in 69% of patients regardless of preoperative hearing levels, and facial nerve function was Grade II or better in 94%. Both results demonstrate improvement from our report 8 years ago. In addition, all patients are without recurrence. Our results continue to demonstrate the surgical advantages of the MCF approach and that, in experienced hands, it is as efficacious as other hearing preservation approaches.

Adolescent↗

Anatomical and physiological measures of auditory system in mice with peripheral myelin deficiency.

Animal models with genetic abnormalities have been increasingly used in auditory research. Both TrJ mice and Po-DT-A mice are animals with peripheral myelin deficiency. In TrJ mice, the defect is due to a mutated PMP-22 gene. In Po-DT-A mice, the defect is produced by a transgene using the rat Po promotor to direct the expression of gene encoding for the bacterial diphtherial toxin A chain (DT-A). This study evaluates the auditory system both physiologically and histologically in these two strains of mice. Histological examination revealed that there was myelin deficiency of the auditory nerve fibers, accompanied by a loss of dendrites and a loss of spiral ganglion cell bodies in both strains of mice. In general, histological deficits in TrJ mice were greater than those in Po-DT-A mice. There was a strong correlation between the degree of myelin deficiency and the survival of spiral ganglion neurons. ABR measurements exhibited differences in threshold, latency and slope of the ABR growth function between myelin-deficient mice and their respective controls. These results suggest that the integrity of the myelin in the auditory nerve is important both for neural survival and for normal electrophysiological function of spiral ganglion neurons.

Acoustic Stimulation↗