OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate hearing and outer cells function in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Our investigation was a prospective case control study. METHODS: A total of 31 psoriatic arthritis patients (62 ears) and 31 healthy control subjects (62 ears) were enrolled in the study. We investigated hearing changes of patients and controls via pure tone audiometry, speech discrimination scores, tympanometry, acoustic reflex, and transient product otoacoustic emission. RESULTS: The mean age of psoriatic arthritis patients was 36.1+/-8.5 years (range, 14 to 62 years). The average age of the control group was 37.9+/-8.1 years (range, 16 to 62 years). There were statistically significant differences between pure tone audiometry in all frequencies and right and left emission at the 4.0 and 1.0 in psoriatic arthritis patients versus controls (P<0.05). This difference was evident, especially at high frequencies. There was no statistically significant difference between the ages and genders of the patient and control groups (P>0.05). Both audiological and otoacoustic emissions were not significantly different between right and left ear (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on the audiological and otoacoustic findings; it is likely that the cochlear outer hair cells become subtly damaged in psoriatic arthritis patients, consequently leading to changes in hearing thresholds. These data suggest that it is important to screen psoriatic arthritis patients for hearing changes with otoacoustic emissions and audiologic tests regularly.
Acoustic Impedance Tests ; Arthritis, Psoriatic* ; Audiometry ; Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Audiometry, Speech ; Case-Control Studies ; Cochlea* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Ear ; Hair* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous ; Prospective Studies ; Reflex, Acoustic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare speech audiometry test results of the conventional Hahm's list with those of Korean standard word lists for adults (KS-WL-A) using both live voice and compact disc (CD) speech presentation modes. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Eighty patients with sensorineural hearing loss and 23 control subjects with normal hearing participated in the study. Each hearing loss group comprised 20 subjects (mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe hearing loss groups). Speech audiometry was performed to measure the speech recognition threshold (SRT) and word recognition score. KS-WL-A was presented either through a live voice mode or recorded CD materials. Test words from Hahm's list were presented using the live voice mode only. Pure tone audiometry was also conducted for all subjects. RESULTS: Differences between the SRT and pure tone average were within 6 dB in all subgroups in all three stimulation methods, indicating high reliability of the SRT in both the conventional and Korean standard methods. The moderate, moderately severe, and severe hearing loss groups showed lower word recognition scores in the CD mode with KS-WL-A than with the two live voice modes. CONCLUSION: Both the live voice mode and CD mode showed reliable speech audiometry test results in normal and hearing-impaired subjects. Although the CD mode is recommended to standardize test methods and reduce test errors, the live voice mode might be more effective for patients with moderate to severe hearing loss.
Adult* ; Audiometry ; Audiometry, Speech* ; Compact Disks ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Speech Discrimination Tests ; Speech Reception Threshold Test ; Voice

After McCabe's study about autoimmunization of perception hearing loss in 1979, the immunotest was interested in, especially the antibody neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody test (ANCA) for detecting autoimmune cause. The treatment by immunodepression presents a good result. Authors studied two patients with perception hearing loss, and with the test ANCA(+), who were treated by Imurel and corticoid
Diagnostic Techniques, Otological ; diagnosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Speech discrimination testing has been used to evaluate the communication disability, select hearing aid candidacy and appropriate amplification, plan and evaluate aural rehabilitation programs and assist in the determination of the site of lesion. Since the words of speech discrimination tests were made on the basis of the linguistic aspects and used till now, they underestimate the disability of high frequency hearing loss (HFHL). To ameliorate this problem, we analysed the words which were difficult to discriminate in FHL in a commonly used speech testing material using the acoustic analysis method. Also, the words were assorted to establish a basic data for a new speech material which could estimate the disability of HFHL. METHODS: 20 HFHL subjects (age 20-70), selected on the basis of pure tone audiometry, were found to be the descending type. They were tested to repeat the monosyllabic words at 10-15dB HL above the puretone threshold of 1000Hz and checked with the error responses. These words were sorted out according to the error response or the confusion rate and analyzed by consonants and vowels. The words were recorded with an audiologist's voice using a GSI 10 audiometer connected to the personal computer. This was analyzed by the acoustic analysis program that has the MATLAB function. With this program, a word was analyzed by an initial consonant, a vowel, and a final consonant for the intensity, the formant peak frequency and the time course. RESULTS: The words which were difficult to discriminate for HFHL were sorted out by the confusion rates. The words of articulation score 15-50% were revealed to have low intensity with short duration, and the peak frequency spectrum above 3 kHz. Also the consonant-vowel transition frequency was located above 3 kHz. CONCLUSION: These results could be used as a basic clinical data to make a new speech discrimination material which evaluates the disability of HFHL more accurately.
Acoustics* ; Audiometry ; Communication Disorders ; Correction of Hearing Impairment ; Hearing Aids ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing* ; Linguistics ; Microcomputers ; Speech Discrimination Tests ; Speech Perception ; Voice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To standard test method of Korean speech audiometry, we developed an audio compact disk, the KsoM-07 (Korean Society of Otolaryngolgy, Monosyllabic, 2007) word lists and evaluated them for clinical usage. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The monitored live voice (MLV) of a female talker was digitally recorded with a Beltone audiometer and the GoldWave program. The calibration for each word was done by calculating the root-mean-square (RMS) at the moving time of 300 ms using MATLAB(R) (7.0 version, The MathWorks, Inc. Natick, Massachusetts, USA) and the GoldWave (v 5.25 GoldWave Inc. St. John's, NL, Canada) program. The discrimination score was measured in 20 normal subjects to obtain psychometric function curve of each word and to compare the homogeneity of two lists. The first verification methods for new speech materials were done by comparing the discrimination scores of the flat type and the descending types at 150 sensorineural hearing loss with similar pure tone threshold. RESULTS: 44% of MLV recording was above +/-3 dB deviation and had to be recalibrated. Two lists showed equal difficulty or homogeneity in normal subjects. Discrimination scores were statistically different among the groups with respect to hearing level and the slope of audiogram. CONCLUSION: KsoM-07 word lists were relatively homogeneous and showed differences between the descending type and the flat type of hearing loss. Therefore, KsoM-07 word lists can be useful in evaluating the impairment found in the descending type of sensorineural hearing loss as well as in serving as a new speech test material for Korean monosyllabic words.
Audiometry, Speech ; Calibration ; Compact Disks ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Massachusetts ; Psychometrics ; Speech Discrimination Tests ; Speech Intelligibility ; Voice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There can be 3, 192 syllables in Korean language but the frequencies of each syllables are variable. This study was aimed to investigate the frequencies of each Korean syllable in the everyday dialogue and to compare the result with the existing Korean phonetically balanced (PB) word list, which can provide the basic data for the standardization of Korean PB word list. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Using 33 materials (total 537, 245 syllables) collected from TV drama (MBC Best Theater), the author calculated the frequencies of each Korean syllables composed of initial consonant and vowel and compared with existing PB word list by computer program. RESULTS: Each syllable appeared in the different frequency pattern. The 138 of 399 syllables represented the 95% of everyday dialogue. CONCLUSION: This study showed that established PB word list was made relatively well but needs somewhat modification to reflect the actual frequencies of syllable in colloquialism.
Audiometry, Speech ; Drama ; Speech Discrimination Tests

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Korean phonetically balanced (PB) word list (Ham's Korean PB Word List) is currently the most commonly used word list for speech discrimination test. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency characteristics of the Ham's Korean PB word list and to compare frequency characteristics of the Ham's Korean PB word list with that of the 21st Century Sejong words, which represent characteristics of the contemporary spoken Korean language. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The 300 syllables most commonly used were collected from the words in 21st Century Sejong project. The 21st Century Sejong words were weighted according to the frequency of usage. The 21st Century Sejong words and words from the Ham's Korean PB word list were analyzed using an acoustic analysis program that has the MATLAB function. RESULTS: Syllables with frequencies above 2,000 Hz comprise 34% of the 21st Century Sejong words and 16% of the Ham's Korean PB word list. The Ham's Korean PB word list does not represent the high frequency characteristics of the contemporary spoken Korean language. The 21st Century Sejong words have more 'eu', 'i' and open syllables than the Ham's Korean PB word list. CONCLUSION: The Ham's Korean PB word list does not reflect the high frequency characteristics of the contemporary spoken Korean language included in the 21st Century Sejong words. Therefore, a new PB word list that incorporates a greater number of syllables with high frequency characteristics is required.
Acoustics* ; Audiometry, Speech ; Speech Acoustics ; Speech Discrimination Tests

A speech discrimination test is a test using a list of 25 phonetically balanced monosyllables. It is often overlooked but significant enough for pure tone audiometry. Many physicians have performed pure tone audiometry but without a speech discrimination test. A 73-year-old woman visited our clinic complaining of sudden bilateral hearing loss. Pure tone audiometry showed only bilateral high frequency loss. However, speech discrimination had decreased markedly. We decided to follow-up after 1 week of Ginexin-F(R) (ginkgo leaf extract) and Nafril(R) (nafronyl oxalate). She felt a gait disturbance within 2 days. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a left thalamic hemorrhage. After a 1 month hospitalization, the hematoma subsided, and speech discrimination recovered 3 months later. Acute hearing loss due to thalamic hemorrhage that recovered has never been reported. We report the first case of retrocochlear hearing loss that occurred with a thalamic hemorrhage in a patient who recovered.
Aged ; Audiometry ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gait ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Bilateral ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrocochlear Diseases* ; Speech Discrimination Tests ; Speech Perception ; Thalamus

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The association between hearing impairment and cognitive function has been established in previous studies. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of conventional hearing aids and middle ear implants on cognitive function. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: This study included 22 participants who underwent middle ear implantation between October 2013 and September 2016. Their mean age at surgery was 70 years. Using Pure tone audiometry (PTA), the Speech discrimination test (SDT), and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, we compared audiologic benefits of three conditions [without hearing aids, with conventional hearing aids, or with Vibrant Sound bridge (VSB)]. Cognitive ability was evaluated using neuropsychological testings (Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery) at intervals of approximately eight weeks. RESULTS: The results of PTA showed a 7.96 dB HL gain with conventional hearing aids and a 10.00 dB HL gain with the use of VSB. SDT results showed a 4.10% gain with conventional hearing aids and a 10% gain with the use of VSB. Results of the APHAB questionnaire showed a significant increase with the use of VSB compared to conventional hearing aids. In the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination, a slight improvement was observed after middle ear implantation. In the Digit Span Test and Korean-Boston Naming Test, a significant improvement was seen with the use of VSB compared to conventional hearing aids. CONCLUSION: The use of middle ear implants in rehabilitation of hearing communication in patients showed improvements in cognitive abilities, compared to the use of conventional hearing aids.
Audiometry ; Cognition* ; Ear, Middle* ; Hearing Aids* ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Ossicular Prosthesis* ; Rehabilitation ; Speech Discrimination Tests

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although several Korean PB (phonetically balanced) word lists were proposed by many investigators, there is not yet a standard PB word list established in Korea. This study aims to study the actual condition of Korean PB word lists, to investigate the frequencies of Korean phonemes and to delineate the commonly used monosyllabic words among them. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study materials were collected from 80 training hospitals in Korea. The frequencies of the initial consonants, vowels and final consonants in the collected lists were calculated with a computer program. Common monosyllabic words were summarized in a table according to their incidences in the lists. RESULTS: Thirteen lists were used in 80 training hospitals. Hahm's list was most commonly used. Most lists showed a similar trend in the phoneme frequencies. The most common monosyllabic words were /gang/, /nun/, and /don/. CONCLUSION: These results might be valuable information for the production of a new standard Korean PB word list.
Audiometry, Speech ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Research Personnel ; Speech Discrimination Tests