View clinical trials related to Ear Diseases.
Filter by:70 patients with peripheral vestibular disorders will be included in the study. Half of the subjects will receive vestibular rehabilitation exercises and the other half will receive additional cervical exercises. Results from the two groups will be compared.
This parallel-group randomized controlled trial aims to determine if the location of the lesion(s) in the vestibular system (unilateral versus bilateral, lateral semi-circular canal versus otolith) impacts the effectiveness of adjunct take-home head-mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) therapy in improving patient symptomatology. Fifty patients meeting inclusion criteria will be recruited from the principal investigator's neurotology clinic. Baseline symptomatology questionnaires will be completed, followed by random allocation to virtual reality and control groups. Vestibular rehabilitation and virtual reality protocols will be adhered to for 4 to 8 weeks, followed by symptomatology questionnaires. Data analysis will be conducted to answer the study's objectives.
The purpose of this project is to see if optical coherence tomography (OCT), a new technology acting as an ultrasound for the ear, facilitates accurately diagnosing acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME) in children. Clinical diagnoses made using solely pneumatic otoscopy (PO) will be compared to those made with the addition of OCT.
Myringoplasties and ossicular surgery are very common procedures. Following these otological surgeries, most surgeons install a wicking. This intervention consists of placing a wick, absorbable or not, in the external acoustic meatus, after having replaced the tympanomeatal flap.
People that have difficulty with balance have a higher risk of falling and reduced quality of life. Some individuals can learn to compensate using their vision, their sense of where their limbs are in space, and balance organs that are still intact. Rehabilitation exercises, which typically involve shaking and nodding of the head, are often prescribed for dizzy patients but are not effective for everyone. Our study aims to determine if specific exercises performed on footplate sensors with visual feedback is superior to traditional rehabilitation exercises done at home for improving balance and quality of life.
The study is a prospective, single-center, comparative, cross-over study with within-subject control design. In the investigation an updated sound processor will be tested at compared to the CE marked Ponto 3 SuperPower sound processor (available on the market since December 2016) in order to establish marketing claim(s) on the updated sound processor. The performance of the two sound processors will be evaluated via speech and hearing tests, and patient reported outcomes.
The aim of this study is to understand the diagnostic applications for this imaging technology and identify particular disorders to target for future clinical investigations. Images obtained with the Ossiview device will be correlated to other standard of care (SoC) testing including microscopic otoscopy, CT scans, MRIs, audiologic testing results, and surgical and pathology reports.
Background: The Eustachian Tube (ET) is a mucosa-lined connection between the nasopharynx and the middle ear cavity. It is believed to have three functions: 1) ventilation of and pressure equalization in the middle ear cavity, 2) mucus drainage from the middle ear, and 3) protection against sound and infection from the nasopharynx1. In adults, Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD) can cause complaints from one or both ears. For many years, various definitions of ETD have been used, impairing the opportunity to compare studies. However, in 2015, an international consensus on definition, types, clinical presentation, and diagnosis of ETD was published by Schilder et al2, which has been adopted by all the Scandinavian countries. The symptoms include pressure (fullness), and/or pain in the ear, muffled hearing, and overall discomfort. Furthermore, chronic ETD can result in tympanic membrane retraction, atelectasis of the middle ear cavity, and ultimately formation of cholesteatoma3. Unfortunately, the symptoms of ETD are multiple and inaccurate giving rise to varying estimates of the prevalence. As an example, a study in UK found a 0.9 % prevalence of ETD4. In addition, clear guidelines on diagnostics and treatment are not currently available due to the fact, that no objective test for detection of ETD exists. In the need of a symptom scoring system, the patient reported Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire (ETDQ-7) has been developed and validated in English5. Yet, translation into other languages as well as validation in other settings are necessary in order to substantiate the applicability of ETDQ-7. ETD is associated with a lack of opening of ET. It is believed that the length, diameter and angle of ET influences its ability to open regularly, thus affecting its function. A short, narrow and angled ET may predispose to ETD. However, the imaging available to visualize ET are not accurate enough to diagnose ETD. A direct test of the function of ET is not available. Tubomanometry is a relatively new method developed to directly test the opening of ET, but is yet to be validated6. Both non-surgical and surgical treatment options to improve the function of the Eustachian Tube are available. Non-surgical management includes pressure equalization methods (e.g. the Valsalva maneuver), antihistamines, treatment with decongestants, and nasal douching with a saline solution. Surgically, ventilation tubes are often used to treat ETD. In case of adenoid hypertrophy obstructing the pharyngeal opening of ET, adenoidectomy is recommended. Balloon Eustachian Tuboplasty (BET) was introduced in 2010 by Ockermann et al7. BET is a non-invasive procedure performed under general anesthesia. During the procedure, a catheter is inserted either endonasally or transtympanic into ET, and a balloon is inflated with water for approximately two minutes. Various heterogeneous studies have shown a short-term effect of BET, but long-term effects are unclear8. In summary, despite the assumption of being a common condition, the field of ETD suffers from lack of precise definition, diagnostic criteria, identification of underlying causes as well as purposeful treatment, and prognostic factors. Especially, long-term effects of BET need further investigation. Therefore, in an effort to fill out the gap of knowledge about ETD, the following specific aims are proposed:
This is a prospective within-subjects repeated-measures study that will enroll 17 users 13 years or older implanted with a HiResolution Bionic Ear System.
This project will investigate the role of noise in the vestibular system, and in particular its effects on the variability (precision) of vestibular-mediated behaviors. The investigators will study vestibular precision in normal subjects and patients with peripheral vestibular damage, and will investigate its potential plasticity. The goals are to develop a better understanding of the role noise plays in the vestibular system in normal and pathologic populations, and to determine if the brain can learn to improve signal recognition within its inherently noisy neural environment, which would result in improved behavioral precision.