A new Cochrane review did not find clear evidence that taking zinc supplements reduces the occurrence of middle ear infections or otitis media in healthy children. About 164 million people around the world have long-term hearing loss caused by inflammation of the middle ear, and about 90 percent live in developing countries. “Deafness is a disaster for these children. It can lead to their not doing well at school and being disadvantaged for life…

Results of a clinical study presented Thursday, Feb. 4 at the annual Triological Society meetings in Orlando, Fla., suggest a sterile barrier sheath system has distinct advantages over germicidal immersion processes used to prevent contamination of fiberoptic nasopharyngolaryngoscopes (flexible ENT scopes). Flexible ENT scopes are used by otolaryngologists to examine the nose and throat area for various disorders such as dysphagia, reflux disease, snoring, and chronic sinusitis…

Results of a clinical study presented Thursday, Feb. 4 at the annual Triological Society meetings in Orlando, Fla., suggest a sterile barrier sheath system has distinct advantages over germicidal immersion processes used to prevent contamination of fiberoptic nasopharyngolaryngoscopes (flexible ENT scopes). Flexible ENT scopes are used by otolaryngologists to examine the nose and throat area for various disorders such as dysphagia, reflux disease, snoring, and chronic sinusitis…

Children who have cochlear implants (CI) rank their quality of life (QOL) equal to their normally hearing (NH) peers, indicates new research in the February 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. It is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear. Unlike a hearing aid, it does not make sound louder or clearer…

Adults with chronic rhinosinusitis - a debilitating inflammation of the nasal passages that lasts for months and keeps coming back - report significantly improved quality of life following minimally invasive endoscopic sinus surgery, according to a new study led by Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The results are published in the January issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. “This study demonstrates the real-world benefits of endoscopic sinus surgery for patients with chronic sinusitis…

Try to go one week without speaking. Now, imagine going months, or years, without being able to talk to friends or loved ones. For patients with severe voice disorders, the loss of their voice often means losing their social life, self esteem or livelihood.

General Practitioners should play a bigger role in the detection and treatment of age-related hearing loss, according to an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Prof Paul Mitchell, of the Westmead Millennium Institute at the University of Sydney, and his co-authors analysed data collected between 1998 and 2000 from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study (BMHS) and between 2003 and 2008 as part of the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) study…

A University of Alabama researcher is embarking on a $5.6 million phase-three, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative treatment that uses a noise-generating device, along with counseling, to alleviate the debilitating effects of tinnitus - that ringing in the ears that drives some people to distraction. The non-medical habituation-based treatment being studied is known as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or TRT. The investigational study of TRT will involve tinnitus sufferers drawn from the U.S..

A University of Alabama researcher is embarking on a $5.6 million phase-three, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative treatment that uses a noise-generating device, along with counseling, to alleviate the debilitating effects of tinnitus - that ringing in the ears that drives some people to distraction. The non-medical habituation-based treatment being studied is known as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or TRT. The investigational study of TRT will involve tinnitus sufferers drawn from the U.S…

Pioneering new research funded by RNID has revealed hope for the early treatment of tinnitus. The study, led by researchers at the University of Western Australia, has revealed that for a certain period, spontaneous nerve activity in the brain previously shown to be associated with some types of tinnitus is dependent on signals from the ear. So temporarily reducing the signals sent from the ear to the brain opens up the possibility of treating tinnitus early after onset. Tinnitus can be a distressing and debilitating condition that affects most people at some point…