To accurately classify hearing loss and otic disorders among older adults, examiners must be able to consistently assess otoscopic signs and perform middle-ear screening tympanograms. As part of a population-based study of hearing loss in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, the interexaminer reliability of otoscopic examinations and screening tympanograms was evaluated using 45 replicate examinations. Data ...

OBJECTIVE The study investigated whether video-otoscopic images taken by a telehealth clinic facilitator are sufficient for accurate asynchronous diagnosis by an otolaryngologist within a heterogeneous population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A within-subject comparative design was used with 61 adults recruited from patients of a primary healthcare clinic. The telehealth clinic facilitator had no for...

BACKGROUND Studies concerning spectral gradient acoustic reflectometry (SG-AR) have analyzed middle ear effusion only as 1 entity. The usefulness of SG-AR to detect specific otoscopic diagnoses of otitis media in young children is unknown. METHODS Among 515 children aged 6-35 months, we compared SG-AR with pneumatic otoscopy and evaluated the proportions of 5 manufacturer-recommended SG-AR le...

Debris in the ear canal and ear canal collapse in newborns have been shown to interfere with recording transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs). The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the effects of two simple ear canal cleaning procedures on the TEOAE responses of normal newborns. Three hundred and sixteen ears were studied with an initial TEOAE followed randomly by eit...

Aural tick usually menisfests as intolerable otalgia. The severity of pain makes the patient to seek early treatment. Other uncommon symptoms include inner ear dyfunctions such as vertigo and tinnitus. The diagnosis is established by clinical examinaion either by otoscopic evidence of the tick itself, or its fecal remnant. We report a case of patient with acute labyrinthitis features with concu...

OBJECTIVE Bilateral acute otitis media (AOM) is considered more severe than unilateral AOM, and several guidelines recommend more active treatment and/or follow-up of bilateral AOM. We studied whether bilateral AOM is a clinically more severe illness than unilateral AOM by comparing symptoms and otoscopic signs between bilateral and unilateral AOM. METHODS Two hundred thirty-two children aged...

BACKGROUND Hearing deficits in children are demonstrably negatively associated with language acquisition and cognition. Although universal neonatal hearing screening exists, it is not offered equally across Canada. Additionally, children emigrating from other countries are often not assessed. The objective of this study is to evaluate Kids2Hear, a free hearing screening program run by medical s...