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Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Research
Gloria
D. Garner M.Ed. and Alan J. Johnson M.D. from the MCG Department
of Otolaryngology, in collaboration with neighboring Walton Rehabilitation
Hospital's Aparna S. Balan PhD and Tannahill Glen Psy.D as well as Jeremy
Federman from Vanderbilt will be
presenting an Audiology Instructional
Course, entitled "Cochlear Implantation Following Traumatic Brain Injury,"
at the 2002 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Annual Convention,
November 21- 24 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The quality of life benefits and improvements in word recognition skills
have been widely reported following cochlear implantation in adults who were
able to speak normally before they became deaf from medical problems.
However, there have been very few reports of cochlear implantation
procedures to rehabilitate individuals with post-traumatic hearing loss
which is usually accompanied by many other physical and mental limitations.
The course centers around the improvements gained in word recognition by a
young woman with traumatic brain injury who received a cochlear implant two
years after a motor vehicle accident. The use of a hearing aid was not
beneficial to enhance word recognition skills. Therefore, a cochlear implant
was determined to be the best course of treatment. Due to short term memory
deficits and auditory processing problems, modifications in programming the
speech processor of the implant and follow-up evaluations were utilized to
improve her results. These modifications and the family counseling and
psycho-social issues which surround treating a patient with multiple
handicapping conditions are a substantial contribution of this course. These
technique modifications have wide implications in providing cochlear implant
services and substantially improving the quality of life in patients having
neurological insults resulting in multiple handicapping conditions including
auditory processing problems.
Christine Gourin, M.D., Assistant Professor of
Otolaryngology, has been selected to participate in the American College
of Surgeons Course on Clinical Trials Methods November 7-12, 2002. Only
a limited number of individuals are selected to take part in this
program. Participants are selected based on their potential as clinical
trials investigators. This course teaches the methodology of design and
implementation of a controlled clinical trial and is recommended for
surgeons who plan to engage in clinical research at a leadership level.
Course content includes the development of concepts and skills in the
design, implementation, and analysis of randomized clinical trials;
funding mechanisms and budget development; outcomes (medical,
patient-centered); and dissemination of the results through publication.
Small teams work with experienced surgeons and bio-statisticians to
develop group proposals for clinical trials during the 5-day course.
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The MCG Department of Otolaryngology was well represented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2002 Annual Meeting, held September 22-25, 2002, in San Diego, California. The following scientific presentations were given during the meeting:
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