Search Results Within Category "Ear, Nose & Throat"
Identifying hearing loss through neural responses to engaging stories
This research study will develop an efficient electroencephalographic (EEG) method that uses narrated stories to identify frequency-specific hearing loss.
• Group 1: Adults aged 18-70 years, normal hearing, no history of neurological problems or ANSD
• Group 2: Adults aged 18-70 years, hearing loss with thresholds better than 70 dB HL, no history of neurological problems or ANSD, doesn?t wear a cochlear implant
• Neurological problems
• ANSD
• Wears a cochlear implant
The Parallel Auditory Brainstem Response
This study aims to test the accuracy and speed of the pABR for future clinical use by recruiting adults with a range of hearing loss profiles from normal hearing to severe loss.
• age 18-65 years
• hearing loss (can be from none to severe)
• no history of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder or cochlear implant use
• can remain still or sleep for the test duration
• profound hearing loss (thresholds > 80 dB HL)
• cochlear implant use
• auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder
• abnormal tympanogram
• inability to sleep or remain very still for the duration of the test
Listening effort in people with hearing impairment
The purpose of this research is to understand the effort needed to understand speech if hearing is impaired. Listening effort is higher in people with hearing impairment and has wide-ranging negative consequences across many aspects of a person’s life. The goal of this project is to explore factors that make listening effortful, with special focus on the need to repair perceptual mistakes by relying on context.
• There are two categories of participants: either people with cochlear implant (one or two cochlear implants) or people with normal hearing in both ears. All participants must be 50-75 years old.
• non native English speakers
Cochlear Implantation in Children with Asymmetric Hearing Loss or Single-Sided Deafness Clinical Trial
• Parents and child fluent in English
• Parents desire functional hearing in both ears for their child
• Severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other ear
• If older than 5 years, documentation of progressive hearing loss (i.e. passed newborn hearing screening, or significant change in hearing)
• Medical condition that contraindicates a cochlear implant, including abnormal hearing nerve
• Already using a cochlear implant
• Inability to complete study procedures
• Unrealistic expectations related to the benefits and limitations of cochlear implantation
• Unwillingness or inability to comply with all investigational requirement
Assessments of sound perception and brain activation in response to paired sound and electrical stimulation of surface ear regions
We are investigating how paired non-invasive electrical stimulation of surface body regions and sound changes sound perception and tinnitus. Body stimulation regions include: external ear/behind the ear, shoulder, neck, forearm, hand, and upper arm. We aim to better understand the optimal conditions of this paired stimulation, which opens opportunities for applying this method to improving hearing loss or tinnitus. We are studying three groups of people: those with normal hearing, those with mild to moderate hearing loss, and those with tinnitus.
• normal hearing or hearing loss with or without tinnitus
• not users of Cochlear Implant or hearing aids
Measurement of Upper Aerodigestive Tract Pressures During Phonation
The purpose of this pilot research study is to test whether a tool called “High-Resolution Manometry” can diagnose laryngeal dystonia (also known as spasmodic dysphonia) and measure how well treatment works. High-Resolution Manometry measures pressures from a small catheter that is passed from your nose into your throat. We believe that pressures in the throat might be different for people with laryngeal dystonia than for people without laryngeal dystonia, or with other types of voice disorders. If we can diagnose laryngeal dystonia shortly after symptoms start, we can get patients the treatment they need sooner.
• experienced improvement in voice quality following injection of botulinum toxin into the thyroarytenoid complex
• received their most-recent injection within 6 months
• age 18-80 years old
• able to read and write in English
• For Healthy Controls:
• age 18-80
• have no known voice problem
• able to read and write in English Patients with Muscle Tension Dysphonia:
• Age 18-80 (age-and sex matched to adductor laryngeal dystonia)
• Diagnosis of primary muscle tension dysphonia by a laryngologist and speech pathologist in the ?...absence of current organic vocal fold pathology, [and] without obvious?neurologic etiology.?18
• Able to read and write in English
• Muscle tension dysphonia patients who either haven?t started voice therapy, or for whom symptoms persisted despite voice therapy
• diagnosis of vocal tremor, abductor laryngeal dystonia, any type of vocal fold lesion, or vocal fold paralysis
• known swallowing disorder (oropharyngeal or esophageal), with the exception of transient post-botulinum toxin injection-induced dysphagia
• pregnant
• prisoners
• allergy to topical anesthetic
• cannot fast for 6 hours (4 hour fast prior to study, up to 2 hours to complete the study)
• recent facial trauma
• recent nasal, pharyngeal, laryngeal, or esophageal surgery or obstruction
Quality of life in patients who have undergone different treatments for upper airway stenosis
The objective of the study is to define quality of life in patients with upper airway stenosis after bypassing the stenosis with either tracheotomy or t-tube stenting. Participants complete surveys over 2 years to collect quality of life information.
• diagnosis of upper airway stenosis treated with tracheotomy or t-tube.
• seen at the Lions Voice Clinic
• at least 18 years old
• able to complete questionnaires in English without help
• require mechanical ventilation
• neurological conditions such as stroke, cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative disease.
• new diagnosis (less than 1 year) of head and neck cancer as the indication for tracheotomy
Vibrotactile stimulation of the larynx to treat unexplained chronic cough
This is a study of adults with unexplained chronic cough between 18-80 years old. This study is trying to determine whether a noninvasive vibrotactile stimulation device can help reduce cough symptoms.
• adults aged 18-80
• more than 8 weeks of non-productive cough
• chest x-ray or chest CT negative (collected as part of routine clinical care); no time limit on imaging (if available)
• clinical impression that untreated or inadequately treated gastroesophageal, pulmonary, and/or sinus or nasal issue is not the reason for the cough
• able to read and speak English
• current smoker or quit less than 3 months ago
• infectious cause for cough (e.g., TB, pertussis, COVID)
• history of known or suspected aspiration pneumonia
• recent intubation/neck surgery (within 8 weeks)
• neuromuscular impairment that may affect cough/laryngeal sensation and/or function (e.g., multiple system atrophy, Parkinson, CVA)
• untreated carotid artery disease
• electronic implants (e.g., pacemaker)
• specific medications (study staff will discuss)
• anticipate use of new medications to treat the cough during the period of the study
• currently having speech therapy for cough
• BMI > 40 (for transmission of VTS through soft tissue)
• allergy to adhesives
• drug/alcohol dependency or abuse
• pregnant
• without regular access to wifi and internet