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Objective: To assess the usefulness of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) for characterizing electrode insertion and evaluate the influence of electrode insertion status on post-cochlear implantation (CI) outcomes. Design: Twenty-six ears with post-CI CBCT scans were included. The devices were MED-EL Flex28 (n=21) and Nucleus slim straight (n=5). The parameters including cochlear duct length (CDL), insertion depth angle (IDA), insertion length of electrode (IL), and cochlear coverage (CC) were analyzed and compared with aided pure-tone threshold (PTA) with implant in free field, and open-set sentence score. Results: The mean CDL was 36.8 ± 1.4mm. Electrode array was dislocated into scala tympani in two ears. The mean IL and IDA were 26.5 ± 1.9mm and 541.4 ± 70.2°. The mean linear CC (IL/CDL, 0.73 ± 0.06) was larger than the mean angular CC (IDA/900, 0.60 ± 0.08). The CBCT parameters showed correlation one another. While the aided pure-tone threshold was correlated with IL and IDA, there were no significant correlations in the open-set sentence score. For the postlingually deaf patients with single electrode (Flex 28), the sentence score had no significant correlation and the aided PTA was positively correlated with IL (R=0.517, p=.028). Conclusions: This study validated the CBCT evaluating the electrode array position. The CBCT could be helpful for the preoperative selection of the optimal array and prediction of the CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conclusion The results of this study encourage our belief that some cholesteatomas can be managed using only conservative treatments. Objective We hypothesized that once cholesteatoma is in a normal environment, its cellular or molecular pathology can revert to those characteristic of normal epidermis. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not common molecular characteristics of cholesteatoma were reversible after removal of inductive factors in experimental cholesteatoma induced in gerbils. Material and methods We induced cholesteatoma using ear canal ligation in Mongolian gerbils. After ligation, the animals in the treated group were managed for 2 weeks. We examined differences between treated and untreated cholesteatomas using terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining and an immunohistochemical technique using the proliferation markers proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and cytokeratin (CK). Results With PCNA and CK 13/16, the untreated group showed positive staining in the suprabasal and basal cells, but the treated group showed weakly positive staining only in the basal cell layer. With TUNEL staining, there were more positive cells in the untreated than the treated group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective-To establish the eventual presence of human β-defensins (hBD) in middle ear cholesteatoma and paired retroauricular skin samples obtained during surgical treatment. Material and Methods-hBD were detected using immunohistochemical techniques and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results-It is hypothesized that hBD-1 and -2 are upregulated in cholesteatoma in comparison with retroauricular skin. The immunohistochemical study demonstrated stronger hBD-2-positive staining in middle ear cholesteatoma in comparison with retroauricular skin. No significant differences in hBD-1 expression were detected between cholesteatoma and skin samples. RT-PCR established elevated expression of hBD-2 mRNA in middle ear cholesteatomas. HBD-1 mRNA was constitutively expressed in cholesteatoma and retroauricular skin specimens. Conclusion-These preliminary experimental results lead us to believe that hBD may play an important role in the chronic inflammatory state of middle ear cholesteatoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on cochlear implantation in a case with Waardenburg syndrome. Waardenburg syndrome, an autosomal dominant syndromic deafness, is characterized by pigmentary abnormalities and deafness with or without dystopia canthorum. The prevalence of this syndrome is 1/42000 of the population and 1.43 % of the congenitally deaf. Here the author has presented a Korean family of Waardenburg syndrome type 2 not associated with microphthalmi associated transcription factor gene mutation and the cochlear implantation in one of them.