A definitive study on the prevalence of adult unilateral hearing loss and hearing aid rehabilitation is lacking in Korea. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prevalence of adult unilateral hearing loss and the factors associated with hearing aid use in patients with unilateral hearing loss in South Korea. We obtained data from 2009 to 2012 from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES), a cross-sectional, nationwide and population-based survey in the Republic of Korea. We analyzed the prevalence and associated factors of unilateral hearing loss and hearing aid adoption by univariable and multivariable analysis. Unilateral hearing loss was defined as pure tone average � 41 dB in the worse hearing ear, and < 41 dB in the other ear assessed at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 kHz. From 2009 to 2012, 33,252 individuals participated in the KNHANES. Among them, the number of patients with unilateral hearing loss was 1632 (5.55%) and the prevalence of hearing aid adoption in unilateral hearing loss was 1.56%. We also compared the factors between hearing aid users and non-users. Occupational status (OR 3.759, 95% CI 1.443-9.804), the hearing threshold in the better ear (OR 1.088, 95% CI 1.029-1.151), and hearing threshold in the worse ear (OR 1.031, 1.005-1.058) were found to affect the adoption of hearing aids. The prevalence of noise exposure at work in hearing aid users was significantly lower than the prevalence of noise exposure at work in those with no hearing aid. The prevalence of hearing aid use in patients with unilateral hearing loss in Korea is very low compared to other countries. Public health education is needed to increase public awareness of unilateral hearing loss, hearing aid adoption and its continued usage. Auditory rehabilitation should be actively recommended to patients with unilateral hearing loss.
Background. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (US-PDT) has been adapted for use in intensive care units (ICU). US-PDT is comparable to bronchoscopy-assisted tracheostomy. However, compared to surgical tracheostomy (ST), its safety and effectiveness have not been well studied. Objectives. To determine the efficacy and safety of US-PDT compared to ST. Materials and Methods. A total of 90 patients who underwent US-PDT (n = 36) or ST (n = 54) between July 2019 and September 2020 were enrolled. US-PDT was performed in the ICU without a surgical assistant or bronchoscope. Data were collected retrospectively and analyzed regarding clinical characteristics, procedure times and details, complications, and mortality rate. Results. The success rate of US-PDT was 97.4% and the procedure time was shorter than ST (5.2 ± 3.1 vs. 10.5 ± 5.0 min). There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics and procedure details. There was no procedure-related mortality in either of the groups. Conclusions. US-PDT is time-efficient and as safe as ST. Based on our results, US-PDT may be considered a potential alternative to ST in high-risk patients and in those who cannot be transported.
Background and Objectives Inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty makes the graft easy, and reduces operating time. The present study aimed to investigate the outcomes of microscopic versus endoscopic inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty. Subjects and Methods In this retrospective study, the outcomes of 63 patients who underwent inlay butterfly cartilage tympanoplasty with small to medium chronic tympanic membrane perforation were evaluated. Twenty-four patients underwent conventional microscopic tympanoplasty and 39 underwent endoscopic tympanoplasty. The outcomes were analyzed in terms of the hearing gain and graft success rate. Results The surgical success rate was 95.8% in the patients who underwent conventional microscopic tympanoplasty and 92.3% in those who underwent endoscopic tympanoplasty. In both groups of patients, the postoperative air-bone gap (ABG) was significantly lower than the preoperative ABG. There were no significant differences between the preoperative and postoperative ABG values in either group. Conclusions Endoscopic inlay tympanoplasty using the butterfly cartilage technique appears to be an effective alternative to microscopic tympanoplasty and results in excellent hearing.
IntroductionSudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is an otologic emergency. SSNHL is commonly defined as hearing loss of greater than 30 dB involving at least three consecutive frequencies and occurring within a 3-day period. 1) There are many hypotheses regarding the etiology of SSNHL, including those implicating viral infection, vascular compromise, and immune-mediated responses. 2) Patients diagnosed with-Background and Objectives We investigated whether the intratympanic steroid injections might be an effective initial treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Subjects and Method We assessed a total of 167 patients with DM and SSNHL who visited a tertiary referral otolaryngology department between January 2010 and April 2018. Fortytwo patients with DM and SSNHL received intratympanic steroid injections; 48 patients with DM and SSNHL received systemic steroid treatment; and 77 patients with DM and SSNHL received a combination of systemic and intratympanic treatment. Initial and post treatment hearing levels and fasting blood sugar (FBS) were assessed, and correlations between hearing gain and the duration of DM, HbA1c, FBS were investigated. Results After steroid treatment, hearing levels were 38.87±25.35 dB in the intratympanic injection group, 41.09±28.49 dB in the systemic steroid treatment group, and 47.81±27.12 dB in the combined treatment group. Final hearing levels and hearing gain in the three groups did not differ significantly. FBS after treatment in the systemic steroid treatment and combined steroid treatment group worsened relative to the intratympanic injection group (202.00±9.40 mg/dL to 326.63±7.85 mg/dL). FBS, duration of DM, and HbA1c levels did not affect the hearing gain in patients with DM and SSNHL. Conclusion Intratympanic steroid injections are comparable to the systemic steroid treatment modality for SSNHL in patients with DM. Thus, intratympanic steroid injections may serve as an effective initial treatment modality for SSNHL in patients with DM. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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