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Biomedical subjects

M Meikle

Publications and source records attributed to M Meikle.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

An implantable bone conduction hearing device.

A new implantable hearing device that transmits an acoustical signal from an external electromagnetic coil to a small magnet implanted in the temporal bone has been developed and implanted in more than 350 patients. Animal research indicates that the device serves as a high-fidelity sound source throughout the audio range. Especially notable is its high-frequency performance. Human experiments using a body processor indicate that the device compares favorably with conventional bone conduction hearing aids, and patients report excellent sound quality as well as improved ability to understand conversational speech. Further development has resulted in an at-the-ear (ATE) processor. Extensive testing of the ATE unit has revealed that current models provide approximately 10 dB less output than the body processors. Further research and development are continuing to address the need for increased power output from the ATE processor and to eliminate other minor problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Voice changes after thyroidectomy: role of the external laryngeal nerve.

Hitherto voice changes have been regarded as an infrequent complication of thyroidectomy and damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve has been given as their major cause. Voice function was assessed in 325 patients after thyroidectomy. Permanent changes occurred in 35 (25%) after subtotal thyroidectomy and in 19 (11%) after lobectomy. The commonest cause of voice change appeared to be injury to the external laryngeal nerves on one or both sides. Damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, which was routinely identified and protected, was rarely a cause. When the external laryngeal nerves were identified and preserved, permanent voice changes occurred in only 5% of cases; this was similar to the incidence of 3% in controls after endotracheal intubation alone. The course of the external laryngeal nerve is variable, and consequently mass ligation of the vessels at the top of the upper pole will damage it in a high proportion of cases. To minimise this serious complication these nerves should be identified and protected as well as the recurrent nerves and voice function should be assessed early in the postoperative period by laryngoscopy and by a speech therapist.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Characteristics of tinnitus and related observations in over 1800 tinnitus clinic patients.

This report has provided a brief survey of the Tinnitus Clinic population as it appeared near the end of 1981, when 1806 patients had been seen. That number is probably sufficient to provide satisfactory statistical reliability for the observations cited here. It should be mentioned that the Tinnitus Clinic has continued to accumulate cases, at the approximate rate of 30 per month, and at this writing the total number of patients seen to date is over 2300. The data obtained from the first 1806 patients were collected under conditions that were not as homogeneous as those prevailing now, in that standardized testing equipment was not available until January 1979, and testing techniques were continuing to be revised even after that time. In addition a major revision of the patient questionnaires was undertaken late in 1981, with the result that much more detailed information is being obtained than was formerly possible using the old questionnaire format. Thus, we can anticipate that the next such survey of the Tinnitus Clinic population will offer considerably expanded and more detailed types of observations than those presented here.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Comparative trial of volunteer and professional treatments of dysphasia after stroke.

A study of the treatment of dysphasia after stroke compared the progress of two groups of disabled patients. One received conventional treatment from qualified speech therapists and the other from non-professional volunteers. Methods of assessing communication difficulties were also compared and the impact of aphasic illness on families examined. No important differences in the results of treatment were seen between the two groups. The volunteers, however, often had to assume some of the responsibilities of social workers, and transport to hospital created practical and economic problems. It is concluded that the two forms of treatment provide essentially the same benefit, although doubt must still remain because relatively few patients were studied.

Aged↗
PubMed1979

Function of the acoustic reflex in discrimination of intense speech.

It is known that the middle ear acoustic reflex (AR) alters the transmission characteristics of the auditory system; however, disagreement exists on how these changes may influence the ears; transfer of speech stimuli. In this study, speech with and without a competing message was delivered at supra-AR levels to cat ears that demonstrated an active and a pharmaceutically inactivated middle ear reflex mechanism. Resulting cochlear potentials were tape recorded and subsequently presented to 18 human subjects with normal hearing. Findings suggest word and sentence discrimination is enhanced in the presence of a functioning AR, with implications for hearing aid use and stapedectomy procedure.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Middle ear implantable hearing device: ongoing animal and human evaluation.

The first five patients have been permanently implanted with an electromagnetic middle ear implantable hearing device. Hearing tests were performed at the time of operation and at 8 weeks postoperatively with a coil held at the isthmus of the ear canal. All patients reported clear, high fidelity sound, as proven by speech discrimination scores. Improvements were seen in all frequencies, including 4,000 Hz. Improvement in pure tones as tested with an audiometer monitoring sounds amplified by a 3-V sound processor was as high as 50 dB sound pressure level. That which remains to be done is the final design of a compact, wearable sound processor with filtering and signal-processing capabilities to meet the needs of the sensorineural hearing-impaired population.

Animals↗