Comparison of BAHA and CROS Hearing Aid in Single-Sided Deafness
People with single-sided deafness (SSD) have significant hearing loss in one ear and normal or near normal hearing in the other ear. Those living with SSD experience several communication difficulties, particularly when listening to speech in the presence of background noise. This problem is worse in situations where the noise is on the side of the good ear and the speech is on the side of the poor ear. The Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) and the Contralateral Routing of Signals (CROS) hearing aid are two devices designed to improve hearing in people who have significant hearing loss in one ear only. The BAHA is a surgically implanted device which also includes an external processor; sounds from the poor ear are transmitted to the good ear through skull vibrations. The CROS does not involve surgery; instead a hearing aid is fitted behind each ear, and the sounds on the side of the poor ear are wirelessly transmitted to the good ear. The majority of previous studies comparing the BAHA to the CROS have used older CROS models with basic technology and a wire along the neck to send sounds from the poor ear to the good ear. There is a lack of studies comparing newer digital wireless CROS hearing aids to the BAHA. The current research will compare the effect of the BAHA and CROS hearing aid on speech perception scores when listening to speech in quiet and in noise. The research will also investigate patients' reported benefits with each device during everyday situations. In order to compare the BAHA and CROS, individuals who already have been implanted with a BAHA will be given a trial period with a new wireless digital CROS hearing aid. The research hypothesis states that the CROS hearing aid will be as equally beneficial or greater than the BAHA in improving hearing and patient benefit. If the findings support the hypothesis that the CROS offers just as much benefits as the BAHA, or is an even better alternative, more patients may choose to avoid surgery and decide to receive a CROS hearing aid instead.
NCT01715948 — Unilateral Deafness
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/unilateral-deafness/NCT01715948/
The objective of this feasibility study is to obtain preliminary safety and efficacy data associated with cochlear implantation in individuals with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss contralateral to an ear with normal, or near-normal, hearing. The hypothesis is that restoration of hearing in the deafened ear will result in improved speech perception in the treated ear and advantages related to restoration of hearing to both ears.
NCT01670006 — Single Sided Deafness
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/single-sided-deafness/NCT01670006/
OUTCOMES IN CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY AND DEAFNESS: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED TRIAL
Children with special needs require complex, individualized therapy to maximize their long-term quality of life. One subset of children with special needs includes those with both developmental delays and deafness. Currently, there is little compelling evidence supporting the idea that cochlear implantation provides benefit to children that don't have the cognitive potential to develop normal speech and language. We will perform a prospective, randomized clinical trial to answer the question of which intervention provides more benefit to this population of children using validated, norm-referenced tests. Our long-term goal is to develop guidelines that may help when selecting a treatment for hearing loss in a child with developmental delays. This proposal is significant because children with special needs are deserving of evidence upon which to base treatment decision-making, but remain under-represented in the medical literature and are often not studied. This research is designed to meet the criteria for the National Institutes of Health road map because it will generate this type of objective evidence that can directly improve patient care.
NCT01256229 — Hearing Loss
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/hearing-loss/NCT01256229/
Genetic Epidemiology of Non-syndromic Dominant Deafness
Hearing impairment is a common disorder that affects at least 7% of individuals in our countries. Even the causes of hearing impairment are numerous, genetic causes represent the main factor of sensorineural deafness. Among hereditary non-syndromic deafness autosomal-dominant inheritance is observed in about 10-20% of the cases. These forms of deafness are usually post-lingual and progressive. To date more than 41 chromosomal localisation and 21 genes associated to non syndromic dominant deafness have been described. It represents an extreme genetic heterogeneity making difficult the studies of these forms of hearing impairment. But, genetic diagnostic testing is crucial in these cases. Indeed, therapeutic research are in the way to prevent the progression of the disorder. The aim of this work is to establish the prevalence of the different genes involved in these forms of deafness.
NCT01150305 — Hearing Impairment
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/hearing-impairment/NCT01150305/
Bone Conduction Auditory Performance Via the Tooth for Single-Sided Deafness
The purpose of this study is to determine the safety and efficacy of using bone conduction via the teeth to treat Single-Sided Deafness (SSD).
NCT00977314 — Unilateral Hearing Loss
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/unilateral-hearing-loss/NCT00977314/
Phonological Perception and Learning to Read : the Neuroanatomy of Reading in Congenitally Deaf Persons
The aim of the research is to investigate phonological processing in deafness and to examine its influence on the neuroanatomy of reading.The basic hypothesis is that insofar as the ability to read is closely related to the ability to segment and represent speech units, the neuroanatomy of reading in deaf would be different from the one of hearing readers.
NCT00400413 — Congenital Deafness
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/congenital-deafness/NCT00400413/
Genetic Analyses of Nonsyndromic and Syndromic Deafness in Pakistan
Objective: One objective of this study is to genetically map and identify mutated genes for human hereditary hearing loss. A second objective is to study the function of these genes in the auditory system using mouse models. Human hereditary hearing impairment is the result of abnormal ear development, abnormal ear function or both. Although the genes for numerous deafness loci have been mapped and identified, there are still many families segregating deafness as a monogenic trait but a mutant allele can t be ascribed to one of the currently reported deafness genes . In order to map and identify novel mutated genes associated with hearing loss in humans, we will continue to ascertain large families segregating syndromic and nonsyndromic deafness as a monogenic trait. Study population: This study will ascertain subjects from consanguineous Pakistani families segregating hearing loss consisting of both nonsyndromic and syndromic forms of deafness of genetic etiology. Since a majority of Pakistani marriages are between first cousins, this tends to bring together the same recessive mutations for hearing loss with multiple affected individuals within single family lines, which is an advantage for this genetic study. A few years ago we stopped ascertaining families in India. We continue to ascertain both affected and unaffected Pakistani family members from age 2 years and up. Adults provide informed consent both for themselves and their children who agree to participate in this study. We will ascertain both genders and all Pakistani races and ethnicities. Design: Subjects will be screened and consented by our collaborating Associate Investigator in Pakistan. After consenting, the subjects will undergo a history and physical, audiological assessment and testing, vestibular assessment and testing, and blood and urine analysis tests, along with a blood sample or buccal swab sample that will be used for genomic DNA extraction. Probands at the time of ascertainment are initially assumed to have a form of nonsyndromic deafness. Additional tests may be performed depending on the history or physical of the individual or after the deafness gene is identified. Data from functional studies in animal models may also point to other concomitant clinical features along with hearing loss. These additional tests may include: photographs or videotapes of a subject s body and face; eye and vision examinations for those with suspected or known eyesight problems related to their genetic hearing loss mutations, and EKGs and/or Echocardiograms for those with suspected or known heart problems related to their genetic hearing loss mutations. Urine and blood analyses may be requested for those individuals with genetic nephritic issues or infertility. For example, when a deaf female individual in a family is subsequently discovered to have Perrault syndrome, a recessive disorder characterized by hearing loss (usually the initial manifestation) and ovarian dysgenesis/primary amenorrhea, additional evaluations would then be conducted for a definitive diagnosis of Perrault syndrome. Such an evaluation would include a pelvic ultrasound scan and measurements of serum estrogen and gonadotropins. Similarly, in some of these families, hearing impaired males may be asked about their fertility since the possibility of male infertility in families segregating Perrault syndrome remains an open question. For genetic analyses, genomic DNA extracted from a blood sample or a buccal swab from affected and unaffected members of families segregating hereditary hearing loss will be genetically screened with polymorphic markers (STRs or SNPs) for linkage to the known deafness loci. The hearing phenotype of children (>2 years old), adolescent and adult subjects will be assigned on the basis of performance from audiological examinations. Genomic DNA from families where deafness is found to be unlinked to the known deafness loci will then be used in genome wide screens with approximately 950,000 SNP markers distributed across the entire human genome to identify novel deafness loci. Alternatively, DNA samples from affected and unaffected individuals will undergo whole exome sequencing (WES) or whole genome sequencing (WGS) with a focus on potentially pathogenic variants located only in chromosomal regions of markers genetically linked to deafness. Subsequently, novel deafness genes will be positionally identified and their functions studied. Outcome measures: Novel deafness loci and genes associated with hearing loss will be identified and will provide new insight into mechanisms required for sound transduction in humans. Data from this study is likely to be the basis of commercially available tests for early diagnosis and timely genetic counseling for at risk couples as well as the development of strategies to preserve hearing and prevent hearing loss.
NCT00341874 — Hearing Disorder
Status: Enrolling by invitation
http://inclinicaltrials.com/hearing-disorder/NCT00341874/
Short-term and Long-term Efficacy of the BAHA for Single Sided Deafness
The purpose of this 3-year prospective investigation is to examine the short-term and long-term (1 year)efficacy of the bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) in adults with single sided deafness
NCT00201617 — Unilateral Deafness
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/unilateral-deafness/NCT00201617/
Sudden Hearing Loss Multicenter Treatment Trial
This trial aims to compare the efficacy of oral prednisone vs. methylprednisolone injected into the middle ear for the treatment of moderate-to-severe, sudden sensorineural hearing loss (inner ear hearing loss affecting one ear that occurs over less than 72 hours).
NCT00097448 — Sudden Deafness
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/sudden-deafness/NCT00097448/
Genetic Studies of Tune Deafness
This study will examine the hereditary basis of tone deafness by identifying regions of the human genome linked to this condition. Both exceptionally good pitch recognition (perfect pitch) and exceptionally poor pitch recognition (tone deafness) run in families. A better understanding of what causes tone deafness may provide new insights into auditory (hearing) function. Individuals with two or more family members 15 years of age or older who are tone deaf or have trouble recognizing different melodies may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a short listening test for pitch and a short written test. Those identified with poor pitch recognition will fill out a brief questionnaire about their family tree and family members (without identifying names) who have trouble recognizing melodies or tones. Individuals with poor pitch recognition will be asked to help contact family members who may be interested in participating. Members of families with two or more first-degree relatives (parents, grandparents, siblings) who are tone deaf may enroll in the study. They will provide a blood sample (about 2 tablespoons) for genetic studies and may take a 20-minute hearing test using headphones.
NCT00006076 — Healthy
Status: Completed
http://inclinicaltrials.com/healthy/NCT00006076/