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Biomedical subjects

T Nikolopoulos

Publications and source records attributed to T Nikolopoulos.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss: prognostic factors.

OBJECTIVES: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) remains a challenge for the clinician. In the majority of cases, no definite cause can be found and the prognosis is variable. METHODS: The present study assessed 114 patients suffering from idiopathic SSHL, with regard to the prognostic value of demographic, epidemiologic, neurotologic and audiometric factors. In addition, the relationship between the identification of wave V in auditory brainstem responses and the final hearing outcome was investigated. All patients received 75 mg/day intravenous prednisolone, divided into three daily doses, for 10 days, with gradual tapering of the dose over the next 10 days. RESULTS: The results (after one year follow up) revealed the following factors to be related to a better hearing outcome: younger age; male sex; less time elapsed between the onset of hearing loss and the beginning of treatment; and an upward-sloping or cupeloid audiogram contour. The detection of wave V early in recovery and within the first month of medical treatment might also constitute a significant favourable factor in respect to hearing recovery. CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed that there are certain factors that affect prognosis in idiopathic SSHL. This is very important in counselling patients and may affect current clinical practice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Categories of auditory performance: inter-user reliability.

Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) describes a scale used to rate outcomes from paediatric cochlear implantation in everyday life. It differs from more technical measures by being readily applied and easily understood by non-specialist professionals and by parents. Being based on subjective assessments, there is a need to establish whether ratings by different persons are comparable. Therefore, an analysis of inter-user reliability was undertaken using ratings from 23 children followed up at various intervals after implantation. Analysis relating scores by local teachers of the deaf and the teachers of the deaf at the implant centre revealed very high inter-user reliability (correlation coefficient 0.97). This result establishes the reliability of CAP as an outcome measure for use in cochlear implant programmes.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1998

Cochlear implants in children: an analysis of use over a three-year period.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether children continue to wear their cochlear implant systems 1 and 3 years after implantation. STUDY DESIGN: The design was a prospective study based on the analysis of forced-choice questionnaires on implant use completed independently by parents and teachers. SETTING: The study was performed at a dedicated pediatric cochlear implant program in a tertiary referral center in the United Kingdom. PATIENTS: All 85 consecutively implanted children who had reached the 1-year interval after implantation and 37 children who had reached the 3-year assessment interval after implantation participated. The patients represented all socioeconomic status groups, the entire range of educational settings, and often lived at a considerable distance from the implant center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parents and local teachers were asked to describe implant use in the following categories: 1) all of the time; 2) most of the time; 3) some of the time; and 4) none of the time. RESULTS: One year after implantation, parents and teachers, respectively, rated 79 (93%) and 82 (96%) children as full-time users (category 1). Parents rated six children (7%) as users most of the time (category 2), and teachers rated three children (4%) as users most of the time. No child was rated as an occasional or nonuser (category 3 or 4). At 3 years after implantation, 33 (89%) and 34 (95%) children were rated as full-time users (category 1) by parents and teachers, respectively. Parents judged four children (11%) and teachers rated two children (5%) to be users most of the time (category 2). Again, no child was rated in category 3 or 4 as an occasional or nonuser. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of implanted children use their implant systems all of the time over a 3-year period after implantation when selected appropriately and given appropriate follow-up.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Congenitally deaf children following cochlear implantation.

The aim of this study is to determine the auditory performance of congenitally deaf children following cochlear implantation. A prospective study is undertaken of 71 such children who have been implanted in a dedicated paediatric cochlear implant centre and who have been followed up to 3 years following implantation. All children are aged less than 8 years at the time of implantation and all receive a multichannel cochlear implant system. No child meeting these criteria has been excluded from the study. The average age at implantation is 56.5 months (range 27 to 93 months, standard deviation 15.9 months). Auditory performance is assessed by using the Categories of Auditory Perception (CAP) scale which is developed primarily as a clinical tool for evaluating profoundly deaf young children following cochlear implantation. The median score prior to implantation on this scale is Category 0 (no awareness of environmental sound), at the 1 year interval is Category 4 (discrimination some speech sounds without lip-reading), and at the 2 and 3 year interval, the median score on the CAP scale is Category 5 (understanding of common phrases without lip-reading). These results indicate the ability of cochlear implants to provide significant auditory receptive skills to young congenitally deaf children.

Child↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ancient schwannoma of the true vocal cord.

Ancient schwannomas are benign nerve origin neoplasms that may cause difficulties in the differential diagnosis with other benign or malignant tumors. They usually occur in the head and neck region (epiglottis, arytenoepiglottic fold, false vocal cord). Involvement of the true vocal cords is extremely rare (less than 10 cases have ever been reported in the English literature--mainly in women). The present case describes a 27-year-old man who presented with a 2-year history of hoarseness. Indirect laryngoscopy showed a small polypoid mass in the middle of the left vocal cord. During microlaryngoscopy under general anesthesia, the polypoidal mass was removed and sent for histology. Immunohistochemistry and detailed histological examination revealed an ancient schwannoma. The present case in a male patient aims to increase awareness of the possibility that these tumors may also exist in the true vocal cords mimicking other more frequent lesions.

Adult↗