No abstract

The purpose of the present study was to suggest the trends and directions of future research in the field of cochlear implants (CIs) by synthesizing the related articles in the field. A total of 168 articles published between 2000 and 2011 was examined in light of time and a type of journals which have been previously published, main topics of research, research subjects and research methodology. The results of this study were as follows: First, research on CI were published in a total of 23 journals. Especially, they were concentrated in Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Journal of Speech-Language & Hearing Disorders, Audiology and Journal of the Korean Society of Speech Sciences. Second, main topics of the research were auditory performance, articulation and phonology and language development. Third, research subjects in most studies were children. Fourth, investigational studies were much more than the experimental studies. Based on these results, implications for future studies on CI were discussed in this paper.

Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome is a rare ectodermal dysplasia characterized by vascularizing keratitis, profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and progressive erythrokeratoderma. It is a clinical triad that indicates a failure in development and differentiation of multiple stratifying epithelia. KID syndrome has been associated with mutations in the gene encoding connexin 26, a gap junction protein. The aim of this case review was to investigate auditory performances after cochlear implantation and emphasize the importance of auditory rehabilitation. The results of this case suggested that auditory performances and communication skills of a child with KID syndrome have improved through the cochlear implantation and aural rehabilitation. In particular listening tests of Listening Progress Profile (Lip Profile) and Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS), the scores have improved from 52% to 97% and 20% to 80%, respectively. The results of this study suggested that auditory rehabilitation and cochlear implantation in children with (KID) syndrome can be effective and important.KEY WORDS：Aural rehabilitation•Cochlear implantation•Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the test-retest reliability of sentence recognition score (SRS) using Korean standard sentence lists for adults (KS-SL-A). Subjects consisted of 156 adults aged between 18 and 25 years with normal hearing sensitivity. Eight lists of KS-SL-A were presented to each subject using a compact disc. SRS was calculated by the percentage of correct responses of 40 target words within 10 sentences. After one or two weeks, retest was performed and correlation, paired t-test, 95% confidence interval (CI) and prediction interval (PI) were calculated for the test-retest reliability. Results showed that the correlation coefficient of SRS was 0.72 and the difference between test and retest SRSs was not statistically significant (paired t-test, p > .05). Results also demonstrated narrow 95% CI and relatively wide 95% PIs. These results indicate that SRS test using the recorded voice of KS-SL-A is fairly reliable. Therefore, 95% PIs for each SRS rather than the PI for the whole range of SRS are strongly recommended in clinical situations when evaluating each individual's retest SRS.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (TEOAEs) with alternate stimulation for elderly group and suggest probability between tinnitus and efferent system. Twenty-eight subjects (56 ears) ranging from 65 to 86 years old were participated. The pure tone threshold average (0.5, 1, 2 kHz) of the right ear was 32.22±14.65 dB HL and the left was 28.83±11.64 dB HL. There were nineteen subjects without tinnitus and the others had various tinnitus. Four out of tinnitus group had spontaneous right unilateral type, two out of them had bilateral type, while the others had intermittent tinnitus in somewhere of head. Alternate stimulation for contralateral suppression of TEOAEs was broad band noise of 70 dB SPL. Contralateral suppressions of TEOAEs were recorded in almost all subjects used every frequency (1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4 kHz), and TEOAEs suppressions were shown significantly on left ears of all subjects (t = -2.06, p = .049). TEOAEs of female were lower than male's in almost frequencies except 4 kHz, but TEOAEs differences of suppression were not appeared significantly between male and female (p > .05). Alternate TEOAEs suppressions were investigated in all frequencies without tinnitus group and varied in each frequency with tinnitus group. These results were achieved using a small pool of subjects but exposed a possibility for clinical application of TEOAEs associated with the efferent system.