• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• 제24권2호
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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.

• 대한청각학회지
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• 제24권2호
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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.

• 한방안이비인후피부과학회지
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• 제34권3호
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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.

• 한국음향학회지
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• 제31권5호
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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.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제32권3호
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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).

• 대한장애인치과학회지
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.42-45
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• 2013

저자는 de Grouchy 증후군을 가진 4세 여자 환아에 대한 임상적 및 방사선학적 관찰을 통해 다음과 같은 지견을 얻었다. 1. 환아는 de Grouchy 증후군의 증상인 심장 및 발가락의 기형, 근긴장의 저하, 뇌량의 부분적인 무형성, 시각 장애와 청각 장애, 지적 능력의 저하, 성장 발달의 지연 등을 나타낸다. 2. 환아의 구강 및 두개악안면 소견으로 상악골 열성장과 전치부 반대교합을 보이며, 불량한 구강 위생으로 인한 다발성 치아우식증이 관찰된다. 3. 환아의 구강 위생 관리 및 치료 부위의 유지를 위하여 주기적인 치과 검진이 필요하며, 상악골 열성장과 전치부 반대교합을 개선하기 위해 추후 교정 치료가 필요할 수 있다.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.145-150
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• 2010

선단이골증(acrodysostosis)은 매우 드문 골격계 이형성 질환의 하나로, 말단골 이형성을 보이는 짧은 손가락과 발가락, 코뼈의 저형성 및 정신지체를 그 특징으로 한다. 본 증례에서 저자들은 전형적인 임상 양상을 보이면서 신경 증상 및 징후와 경추관 협착을 동반한 선단이골증 16세 남아를 경험하여 보고 하고자 한다. 환아는 양쪽 상지의 간헐적인 통증과 위약감을 호소하였으며 양팔을 높이 들어올리는 것이 불가능함을 주소로 내원하였다. 신체 검진상 저신장을 보였으며 넓으면서도 낮은 콧등, 작고 위로 들려 올라간 코끝, 양쪽 눈의 안쪽 눈구석 주름 및 경한 양안격리증 등 특징적 안면 소견을 보였다. 신경심리검사상 중등도의 정신지체가 확인되었으며 청력검사상 양측의 신경성 난청 소견이 동반되어 있었다. 방사선학적 검사에서는, 원뿔 모양의 골단을 보이는 넓으면서도 짧은 중수골 및 지골, 양측 전와부의 마델룽 변형(Madelung deformity), 과형성된 첫 번째 중족골과 두꺼워진 두개골이 확인되었다. 뇌 및 척추 자기공명영상검사에서는 경추관 협착, 경추-연수 접합부의 압박을 동반한 편평두개저 및 소뇌 편도의 하방 이동 소견을 보였다. 선단이골증에서 동반되는 경추관 협착증은 시간이 지남에 따라 진행하는 경향을 보이므로, 6개월 후 추적 영상검사에서 진행되는 소견을 보이거나 증상이나 징후가 악화될 경우에는 수술적 갑압술을 실시할 계획이다. 본 증례는 선단이골증의 국내 보고로는 두 번째이나, 경추관 협착증의 증상 및 징후를 동반한 선단이골증의 첫 번째 보고이다. 선단이골증에서의 척추관 협착증은 시간이 지남에 따라 진행하는 증상이며 심각한 합병증이 초래될 수 있기 때문에, 특징적 임상 양상을 보이는 환자를 조기에 진단할 수 있다면 이러한 합병증에 대한 적절한 치료로서 치명적인 신경학적 후유증의 발생을 피할 수 있다. 따라서, 말단골의 이형성을 보이는 환자의 중요한 감별 질환 중 하나로 선단이골증은 반드시 고려되어야 할 것이다.