Hearing, communication and language : some thoughts

A comunicação oral distingue o ser humano de todos os outros seres viventes e é obtida por meio de uma corrente de aquisições, cujo elo mais importante é a audição. Já a linguagem exige, para seu pleno desenvolvimento, as funções auditiva e fonatória, ou, em outra palavras, os dois pólos de ligação entre os sujeitos da comunicação oral configurando o chamado circuito eletro-acústico da comunicação humana. A interrupção desse circuito determinará transtornos de naturezas diversas, cujas conseqüências, entretanto, se assemelham: os distúrbios da comunicação . Dentre todos os distúrbios da comunicação, a surdez é o de maior prevalência, uma vez que 60% destes distúrbios (sejam eles maiores ou menores) relacionam-se direta ou indiretamente com problemas auditivos. A surdez pode ser definida como a perda ou diminuição considerável do sentido da audição. Sem a audição o homem se vê privado de perceber os sons da vida, adquirir espontaneamente a linguagem e desenvolver o pensamento abstrato.Oral communication differentiates human beings from all other living creatures and is obtained through where hearing is the most important link. In turn, in order to consistently develop language, adequate hearing and phonation are essential – in other words, the two poles connecting the subject of oral communication, and configuring what we call the electro-acoustic circuit of oral communication. The interruption of this circuit determines an array of disorders among which deafness is the most prevalent, since around 60% of there disorders are directly or indirectly related impairment. Deafness is defined as the total absence or significant impairment of the hearing function. Without hearing human beings are unable to enjoy the sounds of life, to spontaneously acquire language, and to develop abstract thoughs

Audição, comunicação e linguagem: um convite à reflexão

Oral communication differentiates human beings from all other living creatures and is obtained through where hearing is the most important link. In turn, in order to consistently develop language, adequate hearing and phonation are essential – in other words, the two poles connecting the subject of oral communication, and configuring what we call the electro-acoustic circuit of oral communication. The interruption of this circuitdetermines an array of disorders among which deafness is the most prevalent, since around 60% of there disorders are directly or indirectly related impairment. Deafness is defined as the total absence or significant impairment of the hearing function. Without hearing human beings are unable to enjoy the sounds of life, to spontaneously acquire language, and to develop abstract thoughs.A comunicação oral distingue o ser humano de todos os outros seres viventes e é obtida por meio de uma corrente de aquisições, cujo elo mais importante é a audição. Já a linguagem exige, para seu pleno desenvolvimento, as funções auditiva e fonatória,ou, em outra palavras, os dois pólos de ligação entre os sujeitos da comunicação oral configurando o chamado circuito eletro-acústico da comunicação humana. Ainterrupção desse circuito determinará transtornos de naturezas diversas, cujas conseqüências, entretanto, se assemelham: os distúrbios da comunicação .Dentre todos os distúrbios da comunicação, a surdez é o de maior prevalência, uma vez que 60% destes distúrbios (sejam eles maiores ou menores) relacionam-se direta ou indiretamente com problemas auditivos. A surdez pode ser definida como a perda ou diminuição considerável do sentido da audição. Sem a audição o homem se vê privado de perceber os sons da vida, adquirir espontaneamente a linguagem e desenvolver o pensamento abstrato

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Histologic description of acquired cholesteatomas: comparison between children and adults

SummaryCholesteatoma is constituted of matrix, perimatrix and cystic content. Some authors affirm that, in children, its clinical behavior is more aggressive of the than in adults.AimsHistologic compared cholesteatomas of children and adults.Methodology74 cholesteatomas been analyzed, being 35 of pediatrics patients (<18 years). The average number of cellular layers and hyperplasia in the matrix had been evaluated; thickness, delimitante epithelium, fibrosis, inflammation and granuloma in the perimatrix. The analysis statistics was carried through with program SPSS 10,0, using the coefficients of Pearson and Spearman, test of qui-square and t test. The number of cellular layers in the matrix was of 8,2±4,2. The hyperplasia appears in 17%, fibrosis in 65%, granuloma in 12% and the delimitante epithelium in 21%. The perimatrix presented a medium one of 80 micrometers (37 the 232), minimum value zero and maximum value 1.926. The histological degree of inflammation was considered of moderate the accented one in 60%. When applying the coefficient of Spearman enters the inflammation degree and average of cellular layers of the matrix with the variables of the measure of thickness of the perimatrix we find correlations, significant, with moderate magnitudes of the great ones (rs=0,5 and P<0,0001).ConclusionAdults colesteatomas of and child had not been identified to morphologic differences between. We find correlation enters the intensity of the inflammation and of the average of cellular layers of the matrix with the thickness of the perimatrix, what it can predict its aggressiveness, more studies are necessary to define the paper of this finding in pathogenesis of cholesteatoma

Processamento auditivo central em adolescentes com otite média crônica não colesteatomatosa

Introduction Evidences of possible effects of early age otitis media with effusion in the central auditory processing, emphasize the need to consider such effects also in subjects with chronic otitis media. Aim To investigate and analyze the impact of non-cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media on central auditory processing in teenagers. Methods This is a study in which 68 teenagers were recruited, 34 with a diagnosis of non-cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media (study group) and 34 without otological disease history (control group). The evaluation of the subjects consisted of: anamnesis, pure-tone threshold audiometry, speech audiometry and a behavioral test battery for assessment of central auditory processing. Results A statistically significant difference was found between the means observed in the study and control groups in all tests performed. An association was found between the control group and subgroups of the study group with unilateral alterations in all tests. An association was shown between the results for the control group and study group for family income, with a greater impact on subjects with a lower income. Conclusions Non-cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media affects the central auditory processing in teenagers suffering from the disorder, and monaural low-redundancy hearing is the most affected auditory mechanism. Unilateral conductive changes cause more damage than bilateral ones, and lower family income seems to lead to more changes to the central auditory processing of subjects with non-cholesteatomatous chronic otitis media.Introdução As evidências de prováveis efeitos de otite média com efusão precoce no processamento auditivo central, ressaltam a necessidade de se considerar tais efeitos também em sujeitos com otite média crônica. Objetivo Investigar e analisar o impacto da otite média crônica não colesteatomatosa no processamento auditivo central em adolescentes. Método Estudo para o qual foram recrutados 68 adolescentes, 34 com diagnóstico de otite média crônica não colesteatomatosa (grupo de estudo) e 34 sem história otológica (grupo controle). A avaliação dos indivíduos consistiu de: anamnese, audiometria do limiar auditivo para tons puros, audiometria vocal e bateria de testes comportamentais para avaliação do processamento auditivo central. Resultados Foi encontrada uma diferença estatisticamente significante entre as médias observadas nos grupos de estudo e controle em todos os testes. Foi encontrada uma associação entre o grupo controle e os subgrupos do grupo de estudo com alterações unilaterais em todos os testes. Houve associação entre os resultados dos grupos controle e de estudo para a renda familiar, com maior impacto nos indivíduos com menor renda. Conclusões A otite média crônica não colesteatomatosa afeta o processamento auditivo central em adolescentes, a audição monoaural de baixa redundância é o mecanismo auditivo mais afetado. Alterações condutivas unilaterais causam mais danos do que as bilaterais e a menor renda familiar parece conduzir a mais alterações no processamento auditivo central de indivíduos com otite média crônica não colesteatomatosa

The role of tympanic membrane retractions in cholesteatoma pathogenesis

Objective. To analyze the contralateral ear (CLE) of patients with cholesteatoma and to correlate the cholesteatoma growth pattern in the affected ear with the findings in the CLE. Methods. Videotoscopy of both ears in 432 patients with cholesteatomas classified as posterior epitympanic (PEC), posterior mesotympanic (PMC), two routes, or undetermined. Tympanic membrane (TM) retractions were classified by location and severity and TM perforations according to signs of previous TM retraction. Results. TM retraction was the most prevalent alteration in the CLE (42.6%). Cholesteatoma was observed in 17.4%. In patients with PEC, the retraction in the CLE was more frequent in the PF (66.7%) than in the PT (1.4%), and in those with two-route cholesteatoma, the retraction in the CLE most frequently involved both the PT and PF (65.6%; < 0.0001). Conclusion. Our results confirm the essential role of TM retraction at least in the earlier phases of cholesteatoma pathogenesis

Mismatch negativity in children : reference values

Introduction The Mismatch Negativity (MMN) auditory evoked potential evaluation is a promising procedure to assess objectively the ability of auditory discrimination. Objective To characterize the latency and amplitude values of MMN in children with normal auditory thresholds and without auditory complaints. Methods Children between 5 and 11 years old participated in the present study. All participants underwent acoustic immittance measurements and tonal and vocal audiometry. The MMN was recorded with the MASBE ATC Plus system (Contronic, Pelotas, RS, Brazil). The electrodes were fixed in Fz (active electrode), Fpz (ground electrode) and in M2 and M1 (references electrodes). The intensity used was 80 dBHL, the frequent stimulus was 1,000 Hz and the rare stimulus was 2,000 Hz. The stimuli were presented in both ears separately. Results For the female group, the mean latencies and amplitude of MMN were 177.3 ms and 5.01 μV in the right ear (RE) and 182.4 ms and 5.39 μV in the left ear (LE). In the male group, the mean latencies were 194.4 ms in the RE and 183.6 ms in the LE, with an amplitude of 5.11 μV in the RE and 5.83 μV in the LE. There was no statistically significant difference between ears (p ¼ 0.867 - latency and p ¼ 0.178 - amplitude), age (p > 0.20) and the gender of the participants (p > 0.05). Conclusion Using the described protocol, the mean latency value of MMN was 184.0 ms for RE and 182.9 ms for LE, and the amplitude was 5.05 μV and 5.56 μV for the left and right ears, respective

Imaging Case of the Month An Unusual Complication of Stapes Surgery

Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Sch Med, Dept Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, BR-90046900 Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilState Univ New York Downstate, Dept Otolaryngol, New York, NY USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, Sao Paulo, BrazilSIDI Imaging Ctr, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med, Dept Otolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc