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Erwin Offeciers

Publications and source records attributed to Erwin Offeciers.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

The value of diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the diagnosis of primary acquired and residual cholesteatoma: a surgical verified study of 100 patients.

Our goal was to determine the value of echo-planar diffusion-weighted MR imaging in detecting the presence of primary acquired and residual cholesteatoma. One hundred patients were evaluated by preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with diffusion-weighted MR imaging. The patient population consisted of a first group of 55 patients evaluated in order to detect the presence of a primary acquired cholesteatoma. In the second group, 45 patients were evaluated for the presence of a residual cholesteatoma 8-18 months after cholesteatoma surgery, prior to second-look surgery. Surgical findings were compared with preoperative findings on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of both groups was assessed. In the group of primary surgery patients, hyperintense signal compatible with cholesteatoma was found in 89% of cases with a sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value for DWI of 81, 100, 100 and 40%, respectively. In the group of second-look surgery patients, only one of seven surgically verified residual cases was correctly diagnosed using DWI, with a sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 12.5, 100, 100 and 72%, respectively. These results confirm the value of DWI in detecting primary cholesteatoma, but show the poor capability of DWI in detecting small residual cholesteatoma.

Adolescent↗

Stapedotomy with microdrill or carbon dioxide laser: influence on inner ear function.

OBJECTIVES: A prospective randomized audiological analysis of 336 otosclerosis operations was conducted to compare the evolution of bone conduction thresholds after primary stapedotomy with two different techniques to open the footplate: microdrill and carbon dioxide laser stapedotomy. METHODS: To monitor the inner ear function, we compared the preoperative bone conduction thresholds with the postoperative levels at day 2, week 2, week 6, and month 6. Evolution of the bone conduction was compared for the two studied groups (laser versus microdrill). RESULTS: An average bone conduction loss of 1.8 dB was measured at day 2 for the middle frequencies (0.5, 1, and 2 kHz). At 4 kHz, a bone conduction loss of 7 dB was found. The bone conduction thresholds measured in the first and second months after surgery showed a gradual recovery with overclosure as the end result. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the transient depression of inner ear function in the immediate postoperative period, with recovery within the first weeks after surgery. In the studied population, no statistically significant difference was found between the two techniques that were used to make the calibrated hole (laser versus microdrill). These results demonstrate that both techniques possess the same early effect regarding inner ear function. The authors hypothesize that an early inflammatory reaction could be the cause of the transient bone conduction shift.

Adolescent↗

Preservation of residual hearing with cochlear implantation: how and why.

CONCLUSIONS: Hearing may be conserved in adults after implantation with the Nucleus Contour Advance perimodiolar electrode array. The degree of hearing preservation and the maximum insertion depth of the electrode array can vary considerably despite a defined surgical protocol. Residual hearing combined with electrical stimulation in the same ear can provide additional benefits even for conventional candidates for cochlear implantation. OBJECTIVES: We present preliminary results from a prospective multicentre study investigating the conservation of residual hearing after implantation with a standard-length Nucleus Contour Advance perimodiolar electrode array and the benefits of combined electrical and acoustic stimulation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The subjects were 12 adult candidates for cochlear implantation recruited according to national selection criteria. A "soft" surgery protocol was defined, as follows: 1-1.2-mm cochleostomy hole anterior and inferior to the round window; Nucleus Contour Advance electrode array inserted using the "Advance-off-stylet" technique; and insertion depth controlled by means of three square marker ribs left outside the cochleostomy hole. These procedures had been shown to reduce insertion forces in temporal bone preparations. Variations in surgical techniques were monitored using a questionnaire. Pure-tone thresholds were measured pre- and postoperatively. Patients who still retained thresholds <90 dB HL for frequencies up to 500 Hz were re-fitted with an in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid. Word recognition was tested in quiet and sentence perception in noise for the cochlear implant alone and in combination with an ipsilateral hearing aid. RESULTS: Hearing threshold level data were available for 12 patients recruited from 6 of the centres. Median increases in hearing threshold levels were 23, 27 and 33 dB for the frequencies 125, 250 and 500 Hz, respectively. These median increases include the data for two patients who had total loss of residual hearing due to difficulties encountered during surgery. "Cochlear view" X-ray images indicated that the depth of insertion varied between 300 and 430 degrees, despite modest variations in the length of the electrode inserted (17-19 mm). The insertion angle had some influence on the preservation of residual hearing at frequencies of 250-500 Hz. Six of the 12 patients retained sufficient hearing for effective use of an ipsilateral ITE hearing aid (< or = 80 dB HL at 125 and 250 Hz; < or = 90 dB HL at 500 Hz). Word recognition scores in quiet were improved from 10% to 30% with the cochlear implant plus ipsilateral hearing aid in 3 patients who had at least 3 months postoperative experience. Signal:noise ratio thresholds for sentence recognition were improved by up to 3 dB. Patients reported that they experienced greatly improved sound quality and preferred to use the two devices together.

Adult↗