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Biomedical subjects

Constantinos Economou

Publications and source records attributed to Constantinos Economou.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Newborn hearing screening resources on the Internet.

Starting as a small military and academic network, the Internet has gradually evolved into a worldwide web, which connects most local networks as well as millions of personal computers from individual users. It is of interest to the medical practitioner, that ever more biomedical resources are becoming available on-line to assist in clinical medicine, research and education. In this paper a detailed list of the World Wide Web sites accessible through the Internet is provided, in which data about newborn hearing screening may be found. Web resources of medical equipment and suppliers and sites including otoacoustic emissions topics, are presented as well. This review is intended to present the wealth of the accessible information on the Internet and to promote further presentation on the web of any available hearing screening data from hospitals and Audiology Departments in which such programs are implemented.

Audiology↗
PubMed2003

Detection of pseudohypacusis: a prospective, randomized study of the use of otoacoustic emissions.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of transient otoacoustic emissions in an audiological protocol used in the evaluation of patients suspicious of pseudohypacusis. DESIGN: This was a prospective study of 72 adult patients suspicious of pseudohypacusis on the grounds of case history and inconsistent audiometric results. The subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment group or control group. The treatment group consisted of 42 patients who underwent a four-stage protocol that included (1) standard speech and pure-tone audiometry, (2) transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and tympanometry, (3) repeat modified pure-tone audiometry, and (4) auditory brain stem response (ABR) audiometry. The control group consisted of 30 patients, who underwent an identical protocol except that Stage 2 (TEOAEs and tympanometry) was omitted. The main outcome measure was the mean exaggeration level defined as the difference in mean pure tone average (PTA) between the initial and the repeat session (mean PTAinitial minus mean PTArepeat). RESULTS: The mean PTA (average threshold at 1, 2, 3, and 4 kHz) on repeat audiometry was significantly better than the mean PTA obtained on the initial evaluation for each group. However, the mean exaggeration level was significantly greater for the treatment group (35.2 dB HL) than for the control group (11.0 dB HL). In addition, there was no significant difference between the mean PTArepeat (32.7 dB HL) and the mean click-evoked ABR threshold (31.6 dB nHL) for the treatment group whereas the mean PTArepeat (52.9 dB HL) was significantly poorer than the click evoked ABR threshold (29.2 dB nHL) for the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The inclusion of TEOAEs and tympanometry in an audiological protocol used in the evaluation of patients suspicious of pseudohypacusis resulted in a significantly greater threshold improvement on repeat modified pure-tone audiometry when compared to the improvement observed for a control group in which these tests were not performed.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗
PubMed2003

Otoacoustic emissions in patients with hypotension.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between hypotension and slowly developing hearing impairment, using otoacoustic emissions. A group of 42 patients was examined, with diastolic blood pressure < or = 60 mmHg and systolic blood pressure < or = 105 mmHg. The subjects underwent biochemical, cardiological, ENT and audiological examinations. Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) were recorded in the format of DP-gram. The results were compared to the data of 30 normal persons of similar age and sex, examined at the same laboratory. Audiometric results showed that 18 patients had mild or moderate symmetrical hearing loss in one or more frequencies, mainly in the lower frequency range. DPOAE of the patients had reduced amplitude as compared to controls or were even absent, in one or more frequencies. It may be concluded that a hypotensive condition could be a possible factor in the origin of cochlear damage and DPOAE may be useful in monitoring hypotensive patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Occurrence of semicircular canal involvement in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

OBJECTIVES: To study the occurrence of each variant of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPVV) and to present some specific clinical features and the results of their treatment by appropriate repositioning maneuvers. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of the records of patients with BPPV. SETTING: Neurotology clinic of the ear, nose, and throat department of a general hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty-two patients were included in the study, 54 male and 68 female, mean ages 61.8 and 59.6 years, respectively, ranging in age from 25 years to 86 years and with symptoms lasting for an average of 124 days. The diagnosis of each type of BPPV was based on the history of the patients and on the positive results of the appropriate provoking maneuver. METHODS: From all the patients, a comprehensive history was obtained, followed by clinical examination of the ears, nose, and throat and a complete audiologic and neurotologic examination, including electronystagmography. All patients were treated with an appropriate repositioning maneuver, depending on the type of BPPV. RESULTS: Of 122 patients, 110 had posterior canal involvement, 10 had horizontal canal involvement, and only 2 had the anterior canal variant. The canalith repositioning procedure was immediately successful in 106 patients and in 8 more patients proved successful after its repetition in a second session, resulting in a total success rate of 93.4%. CONCLUSIONS: All the BPPV variants shared the same clinical and demographic characteristics and responded equally well to treatment. However, differential diagnosis was necessary to apply the appropriate canalith repositioning procedure. Although data from clinical and histologic studies do not fully account for the observed relative occurrence of each variant of BPPV, a satisfactory explanation may be provided by the anatomic location of each semicircular canal and additionally by self-treatment of most cases of the horizontal and the anterior canal variety.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Audiological assessment in Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is known to cause symptoms and signs of vestibulocochlear dysfunction, including sensorineural hearing loss. The present study investigates the audiological features of a group of 15 patients with this syndrome. A complete otolaryngological, neurologic, and audiological workup was performed in every patient, including auditory brain stem response measurements and recording of transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions. In most patients, some degree of hearing loss was evident, and abnormal latencies and interpeak latencies of the auditory brain stem response, or even absence of the waves, were observed. Transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions were present in only 6 cases, and caloric tests showed unilateral weakness in the majority of the patients. In all of the performed tests, abnormalities were present only on the affected side. The audiological data suggested cochlear or retrocochlear involvement or involvement at more than one site along the auditory pathway.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Internet resources available to otolaryngologists.

During recent years, the Internet has evolved into the largest computer network in the world, allowing access to vast amounts of information and services. Medical information is increasingly available to both patients and professionals, and ever more biomedical resources are becoming available on-line to assist in research, clinical medicine, and education. The Internet has always provided useful resources to otolaryngologists, implemented at various academic departments and national organizations or by specialists or specific medical web sites offering technical, scientific, and biomedical information. The purpose of this article is to provide as complete a list as possible of the World Wide Web sites accessible through the Internet that are of interest to otolaryngologists. It summarizes different types of resources available, including educational material, audiology sites, outcomes research, discussion lists, research laboratories, publications, medical libraries, news and medical conferences, organizations, academic departments, otolaryngological and medical resources, medical and surgical equipment and suppliers, and miscellaneous other sites of interest to otolaryngologists. This review is intended to present the wealth of the accessible information on the Internet and to promote the use of the network to otolaryngologists who do not have extensive experience in computers or telecommunications.

Computer User Training↗
PubMed2002

Rhinolithiasis: an unusual cause of nasal obstruction.

Rhinoliths are foreign bodies of the nose, which may be encountered during the course of a routine examination. If undetected for a long time, they may grow large enough to cause symptoms of nasal obstruction, mimicking sinusitis. We report four patients with rhinoliths presenting with diverse clinical findings. Removal was easy and uneventful in all cases.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Rhinology resources on the Internet.

During recent years medical information through Internet is increasingly available to both patients and professionals and ever more biomedical resources become available on line to assist in clinical medicine, education and research. The purpose of this article is to present a detailed list of all the worldwide web sites of rhinology that are accessible through the Internet.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cochlear dysfunction in patients with mitochondrial myopathy.

The present study investigates cochlear function in a group of 11 patients suffering from mitochondrial myopathy with normal or near normal audiometric pure tone thresholds, in most of whom diagnosis was histologically confirmed. A complete ENT, neurologic and audiological work-up, including transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions, was performed in all patients in order to estimate cochlear function. Compared to control subjects, most patients had absent otoacoustic emissions (OAE) in spite of normal hearing, indicating cochlear dysfunction. These findings suggest that subclinical involvement of the cochlea is quite common in patients with mitochondrial myopathy. Damage of the cochlea can be explained on the grounds of its increased metabolic rate, resulting in failure of the stria vascularis and the outer hair cells. Otoacoustic emissions might provide a useful tool in the clinical work-up and follow-up of these patients.

Adult↗