Objective: The study aimed at exploring the audiological characteristics and the relationship between speech identification scores with cortical evoked potential measures and hearing aid benefit in individuals with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). Study design: We initiated a retrospective study of patients who were diagnosed as having ANSD. In 198 patients with ANSD, patient history, risk factors, degree and configuration of hearing loss, speech identification scores in quiet and noise, otoacoustic emissions (OAE), immittance evaluation, auditory brainstem responses (ABR), long latency responses (LLR) and hearing aid benefit were assessed. Results: The results showed that the majority of the patients had bilateral ANSD with a female to male ratio of 1.25:1 with the majority having a rising configuration of hearing loss. OAEs were present in most with absent stapedial reflexes and ABR. The study also showed that individuals with ANSD do obtain benefit from hearing aids and it is related to the presence of LLR. Conclusions: The present study emphasizes the audiological characteristics of a large group with ANSD. Among the management options, hearing aids were found to be useful in only a few of the patients and other rehabilitation options, such as cochlear implants, need to be explored in future studies. Currently, the determining factors for benefit with hearing aid are speech identification scores and cortical auditory evoked potentials.

Introduction It is essential to determine the quality of life among individuals with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). However, there is limited literature on health-related quality of life measurements in Kannada-speaking individuals with CSOM. Objectives The present study attempted to translate and validate Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Questionnaire-12 (COMQ-12) and Chronic Otitis Media Outcome Test-15 (COMOT-15) in Kannada. Method The English questionnaires were translated and back-translated, and they were later verified for content validity. The developed questionnaires were then administered to 100 individuals with CSOM for further validation. Results The results of the study showed that the translated questionnaires have good internal consistency for measuring quality of life among individuals with CSOM. The study also showed that Kannada-speaking individuals with CSOM show significant impairment in their health-related quality of life measures. Conclusions The impairments were more related to ear symptoms and psychological issues. However, test-retest reliability of the developed questionnaire and its further validation are essential. Thus, these questionnaires attempt to understand the problems of the individuals with CSOM from the patients' perspective and help clinicians provide the appropriate management.

Introduction Tinnitus is a sound heard in the ears or head that originates from both external and internal sources. Tinnitus epidemiological data are critical for proper assessment and management of tinnitus sufferers. The study’s goal was to determine the prevalence of tinnitus and its characteristics among middle-aged Indian individuals, as there has been no previous research in this area in India. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 273 Indian adult populations ranging in age from 18 to 60 years old, utilizing a random sampling approach and an online survey mode. The SPSS 25.0 software was used to conduct the statistical analysis. The descriptive statistics were used to assess the data, and the chi-square test was used to see whether there was any correlation between the variables. Results Studies related to tinnitus prevalence show larger variability across countries, which may be due to inconsistent research methods used. Our survey found the prevalence of tinnitus to be 6.7% among the Indian adult population, and most of the participants 76 (76%) reported that their tinnitus is of intermittent nature. In our study, we found that 15% of participants have problem with sleep and none of the participants reported perception of tinnitus in their dreams. Conclusion Tinnitus is the most prevalent otological condition, which may have a great impact on the quality of life of sufferers as well as their family members. As the prevalence of tinnitus is high among adult population, it is very much essential to develop proper assessment and management protocols to help the patient with tinnitus.

Introduction Communication breakdown, a consequence of hearing impairment (HI), is being fought by fitting amplification devices and providing auditory training since the inception of audiology. The advances in both audiology and rehabilitation programs have led to the advent of computer-based auditory training programs (CBATPs). Objective To review the existing literature documenting the evidence-based CBATPs for children with HIs. Since there was only one such article, we also chose to review the commercially available CBATPs for children with HI. The strengths and weaknesses of the existing literature were reviewed in order to improve further researches. Data Synthesis Google Scholar and PubMed databases were searched using various combinations of keywords. The participant, intervention, control, outcome and study design (PICOS) criteria were used for the inclusion of articles. Out of 124 article abstracts reviewed, 5 studies were shortlisted for detailed reading. One among them satisfied all the criteria, and was taken for review. The commercially available programs were chosen based on an extensive search in Google. The reviewed article was well-structured, with appropriate outcomes. The commercially available programs cover many aspects of the auditory training through a wide range of stimuli and activities. Conclusions There is a dire need for extensive research to be performed in the field of CBATPs to establish their efficacy, also to establish them as evidence-based practices.