• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to compare functional hearing with the use of a personal sound amplification product (PSAP) or a basic hearing aid (HA) among sensorineural hearing impaired listeners. Subjects and Methods: Nineteen participants with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (26-55 dB HL; pure-tone average, 0.5-4 kHz) were prospectively included. No participants had prior experience with HAs or PSAPs. Audiograms, speech intelligibility in both quiet and noisy environments, speech quality, and preference were assessed in three different listening conditions: unaided, with the HA, and with the PSAP. Results: The use of PSAP was associated with significant improvement in pure-tone thresholds at 1, 2, and 4 kHz compared to the unaided condition (all p<0.01). In the quiet environment, speech intelligibility was significantly improved after wearing a PSAP compared to the unaided condition (p<0.001), and this improvement was better than the result obtained with the HA. The PSAP also demonstrated similar improvement in the most comfortable levels compared to those obtained with the HA (p<0.05). However, there was no significant improvement of speech intelligibility in a noisy environment when wearing the PSAP (p=0.160). There was no significant difference in the reported speech quality produced by either device or in participant preference for the PSAP or HA. Conclusions: The current result suggests that PSAPs provide considerable benefits to speech intelligibility in a quiet environment and can be a good alternative to compensate for mild-to-moderate SNHL.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to compare functional hearing with the use of a personal sound amplification product (PSAP) or a basic hearing aid (HA) among sensorineural hearing impaired listeners. Subjects and Methods: Nineteen participants with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) (26-55 dB HL; pure-tone average, 0.5-4 kHz) were prospectively included. No participants had prior experience with HAs or PSAPs. Audiograms, speech intelligibility in both quiet and noisy environments, speech quality, and preference were assessed in three different listening conditions: unaided, with the HA, and with the PSAP. Results: The use of PSAP was associated with significant improvement in pure-tone thresholds at 1, 2, and 4 kHz compared to the unaided condition (all p<0.01). In the quiet environment, speech intelligibility was significantly improved after wearing a PSAP compared to the unaided condition (p<0.001), and this improvement was better than the result obtained with the HA. The PSAP also demonstrated similar improvement in the most comfortable levels compared to those obtained with the HA (p<0.05). However, there was no significant improvement of speech intelligibility in a noisy environment when wearing the PSAP (p=0.160). There was no significant difference in the reported speech quality produced by either device or in participant preference for the PSAP or HA. Conclusions: The current result suggests that PSAPs provide considerable benefits to speech intelligibility in a quiet environment and can be a good alternative to compensate for mild-to-moderate SNHL.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.102-111
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the case of a presbycusis patient whose hearing had improved. Methods : A 81-year-old male diagnosed with presbycusis were treated with Korean medical interventions (acupuncture combined with electromagnetic stimulation and pharmacoacupuncture) and Threshold sound conditioning(TSC) for 3 months. Pure tone audiometry(PTA) was performed for the evaluation. Results : The patient's hearing was improved from moderate to mild level according to the Classification of Hearing Loss(International Organization for Standardization, 1969). The average hearing were improved from 40.5 dB to 32.7dB on the left side, 46.9dB to 34.1dB on the right side. Conclusions : We observed an improvement in a presbycusis patient's hearing and hereby suggest the possibility of Korean medical treatment and TSC's ameliorating effect on sensorineural hearing loss as well as prebyscusis.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.298-308
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• 2012

This study was designed to examine the phoneme recognition errors of hearing-impaired (HI) listeners on a consonant-by-consonant basis, to show (1) how each HI ear perceives individual consonants differently and (2) how standard clinical measurements (i.e., using a tone and word) fail to predict these differences. Sixteen English consonant-vowel (CV) syllables of six signal-to-noise ratios in speech-weighted noise were presented at the most comfortable level for ears with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss. The findings were as follows: (1) individual HI listeners with a symmetrical pure-tone threshold showed different consonant-loss profiles (CLPs) (i.e., over a set of the 16 English consonants, the likelihood of misperceiving each consonant) in right and left ears. (2) A similar result was found across subjects. Paired ears of different HI individuals with identical pure-tone threshold presented different CLPs in one ear to the other. (3) Paired HI ears having the same averaged consonant score demonstrated completely different CLPs. We conclude that the standard clinical measurements are limited in their ability to predict the extent to which speech perception is degraded in HI ears, and thus they are a necessary, but not a sufficient measurement for HI speech perception. This suggests that the CV measurement would be a useful clinical tool.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.218-229
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• 2011

Companding algorithms have been used to enhance speech recognition in noise for cochlea implant users. The efficiency of using companding for digital hearing aid users is not yet validated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the companding for digital hearing aid users in the various hearing loss cases. Using HeLPS, a hearing loss simulator, two different sensorinerual hearing loss conditions were simulated; mild gently sloping hearing loss(HL1) and moderate to steeply sloping hearing loss(HL2). In addition, a non-linear compression was simulated to compensate for hearing loss using national acoustic laboratories-non-linear version 1(NAL-NL1) in HeLPS. In companding, the following four different companding strategies were used changing Q values(q1, q2) of pre-filter(F filter) and post filter(G filter). Firstly, five IEEE sentences which were presented with speech-shaped noise at different SNRs(0, 5, 10, 15 dB) were processed by the companding. Secondly, the processed signals were applied to HeLPS. For comparison, signals which were not processed by companding were also applied to HeLPS. For the processed signals, log-likelihood ratio(LLR) and cepstral distance(CEP) were measured for evaluation of speech quality. Also, fourteen normal hearing listeners performed speech reception threshold(SRT) test for evaluation of speech intelligibility. As a result of this study, the processed signals with the companding and NAL-NL1 have performed better than that with only NAL-NL1 in the sensorineural hearing loss conditions. Moreover, the higher ratio of Q values showed better scores in LLR and CEP. In the SRT test, the processed signals with companding(SRT = -13.33 dB SPL) showed significantly better speech perception in noise than those processed using only NAL-NL1(SRT = -11.56 dB SPL).

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.42-45
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• 2013

De Grouchy syndrome or Distal 18q- is a genetic condition caused by a deletion of genetic material within chromosome 18, and the deletion involves the distal section of 18q. It causes a wide range of medical and developmental concerns. Congenital orthopedic anomalies, cleft lip and palate are relatively common. People with distal 18q- are often small for their age. Most individuals with distal 18q- fall in the mild to moderate range of intellectual disability. Strabismus and nystagmus, changes in the optic nerve as well as colobomas are also fairly common. People with distal 18q- frequently have conductive and/or sensorineural hearing loss. At present, treatment for distal 18q- is only symptomatic. This article presents a case report: Caries treatment of a 4-year-old female patient with de Grouchy syndrome under general anesthesia. The special considerations of dental care, especially caries treatment for the patient with de Grouchy syndrome are discussed.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.145-150
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• 2010

Acrodysostosis is an extremely rare disorder characterized by short fingers and toes with peripheral dysostosis, nasal hypoplasia, and mental retardation. We report a 16-year-old Korean boy with acrodysostosis who had characteristic clinical features and cervical spine stenosis manifested by neurologic symptoms. On presentation, he complained of difficulty in raising his arms, and suffered from intermittent pain and weakness in both upper extremities. He had short stature and dysmorphic facial features, including a broad, depressed nasal bridge, small, upturned nose, bilateral epicanthal folds, and mild hypertelorism. Moderate mental retardation and sensorineural hearing loss in both ears were also present. Radiological findings included broad, short metacarpals and phalanges with cone-shaped epiphyses, bilateral Madelung deformities, hypertrophied first metatarsals, and thickening of the calvarium. Magnetic resonance imaging findings included stenosis of the cervical spine, platybasia with compression into the cervicomedullary junction, and downward displacement of the cerebellar tonsils. Here, we report a case of acrodysostosis with symptoms and signs of cervical spinal stenosis first in Korea. If it is diagnosed in the early stages, possible life-threatening complications, including spinal canal stenosis, can be managed properly and permanent neurologic sequelae might be avoided. Therefore, it is important to consider acrodysostosis in the differential diagnosis of peripheral dysostosis.