Objective: To evaluate the use of monosyllabic word recognition versus sentence recognition to determine candidacy and long-term benefit for cochlear implantation. Study Design: Prospective multi-center single-subject design. Methods: A total of 21 adults aged 18 years and older with bilateral moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss and low monosyllabic word scores received unilateral cochlear implantation. The consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word test was the central measure of pre- and postoperative performance. Additional speech understanding tests included the Hearing in Noise Test sentences in quiet and AzBio sentences +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Quality of life (QoL) was measured using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and Health Utilities Index. Results: Performance on sentence recognition reached the ceiling of the test after only 3 months of implant use. In contrast, none of the participants in this study reached a score of 80% on CNC word recognition, even at the 12-month postoperative test interval. Measures of QoL related to hearing were also significantly improved following implantation. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate that monosyllabic words are appropriate for determining preoperative candidate and measuring long-term postoperative speech recognition performance. Level of Evidence: 2c.

The mediolateral and anteroposterior position of the jugular bulb determines encroachment of the surrounding structures. An abnormal position is postulated to contribute to the development of Ménière's disease.

Van der Woude syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by lower lip pits with or without cleft lip and/or cleft palate. The lip pits commonly have salivary glands that drain into them, which leads to salivary flow from the lip pits. Lip pits may be associated with submucosal palatal cleft, velopharyngeal insufficiency, or genitourinary or cardiovascular anomalies. The pits are treated by surgical resection. The authors report a case of van der Woude syndrome with isolated lip pits and speech difficulties that had been unrecognized until the patient was 6 years old. The surgical technique is described to ensure that the often-bifurcating tracts are removed entirely.

We conducted a study to establish standardized measurements of the common anatomic landmarks used during surgery via the middle cranial fossa approac h. Results were based on high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images of 98 temporal bones in 54 consecutively presenting patients. Measurements were obtained with the assistance of the standard PACS (picture archiving and communication system) software. We fo und that the superiorsemicircular canal (SSC) dome was not the highest point on the temporal bone (i.e., the arcuate eminence) in 78 of the temporal bone images (79.6%). Pneumatization above the SSC and above the internal auditory canal (IAC) was fo und in 27 (2 7.6%) and 39 (39.8%) tempo ral bone images, respectively. The anterior wall of the external auditory canal was always anterior to the anterior wall of the lAC. The mean angles between the SSC and the posterior and anterior walls of the lAC were 42.3°and 60.8°, respectively. We also measured other distances, and we compa red ourfindings with those published by others. We hope that the results of our study will help surgeons safe ly and rapidly locate anatomic landmarks when performi ng surgery via the middle cranial fos sa app roach.