Hearing loss occurs in children and in the elderly, in war veterans and factory workers, and in classical musicians and disc jockeys. Epidemiology is the study of factors such as hearing loss that affect the health and illness of populations…
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is most likely the dominant cause of acquired hearing loss. In turn, the fastest growing causes for NIHL is the use of personal listening devices (PLDs) and exposure to occupational noise including music performances. Extensive information…
Peripheral hearing loss comes in two broad types, conductive and sensorineural. Conductive hearing loss results from deficits in the sound-conducting apparatus of the outer and middle ear. Problems such as fluid in the middle ear and immobility of the middle…
Imagine that your hearing sensitivity for pure tones is exquisite—not affected by frequent exposure to loud music or other noises—but that you have great problems in understanding speech even in a quiet environment. This occurs if you have a temporal…
3.1 Multimodal Auditory Cortical Areas Examples in Chapter 2 , Brain Plasticity and Perceptual Learning show that perceptual learning is more efficient when the training is multisensorial. Here we will review that combining the information from different senses is essential…
The brain—young as well as adult—has the capacity to adapt in response to changes in the external environment, to changes in the sensory input due to peripheral injury such as hearing loss, and as a result of training (perceptual learning).…
Hearing loss comprises reduced sensitivity for pure tones (the audiogram) and problems in the understanding of speech. The loss of sensitivity results from deficits in the transmission of sound via the middle ear and/or loss of transduction of mechanical vibrations…
12.1 Introduction of 3D exoscopes in reconstructive microsurgery Exoscopic technology was first introduced in free flap reconstruction in 2017. In particular, Piatkowski et al. described their experience in breast reconstruction with a bilateral deep inferior epigastric perforator flap. The authors highlighted…
11.1 Technological advancements in thyroid and parathyroid surgery At the beginning of the 21st century, technological advancements in thyroid and parathyroid surgery served to obtain better cosmetics results and lower postoperative pain. Minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy and thyroidectomy relied on…
10.1 Introduction Benign parotid tumors have historically been treated by parotidectomy focused on the complete resection of the neoplasm with facial nerve preservation. Parotid masses were formerly managed via surgical enucleation, as first described by Béclard in 1824 with the…