[Evoked otoacoustic emissions in diagnosis of cochlear hearing disorders]. / Die evozierten otoakustischen Emissionen (EOE) bei der Diagnostik kochleär bedingter Hörstörungen.

The authors consider the possibility of routine use of evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOE) in diagnosis of sensory hearing loss by comparison of EOE curves with relative curves obtained by pure tone audiometry. 180 ears with sensory hearing loss of different aetiologies were examined. EOE were obtained by application of Bray and Kemp's Evoked Otoacustic Measurement Package (ILO88). The results obtained show a close correlation between presence of EOE and real hearing losses of different frequencies obtained by pure tone audiometric evaluation. We could detect no EOE with hearing losses over 50 dB HL at 500 Hz, 40 dB HL at 1000 Hz, 50 dB HL at 2000 Hz and 85 dB HL at 4000 Hz. With a rate of middle hearing loss over 45 dB HL we also did not find EOE for the whole frequency range. On the base of this study, the authors conclude that EOE explore the functional integrity of those parts of the cochlea that correspond to the middle frequencies of hearing range. If EOE are not detectable, statements on the nature and extent of hearing loss on the base of this examination are not valid.

[Bacteriology of chronic maxillary sinusitis]. / Zur Bakteriologie der chronischen Sinusitis maxillaris.

132 patients with chronic maxillary sinusitis were included in this bacteriological study of the intrasinus exudate obtained by a radical antrostomy or antral puncture. We found 78.3% aerobes, 21.7% anaerobes, 51.5% gram positive and 48.5% gram negative micro-organisms, but no fungi in 120 cultures. The commonest aerobic species was Haemophylus (20%), whereas Peptococcus and Bacteroides were the commonest anaerobes (10%).

[Evoked oto-acoustic emissions (EOE) as screening method in infants]. / Die evozierten otoakustischen Emissionen (EOE) als pädaudiologische Screeningmethode.

The authors consider the problems of the early diagnosis of paediatric hypoacusis, presenting a study done on twenty audiological high risk children that were subjected to audiometric screening by delayed cochlear otoacoustic emissions (EOE) and brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BEAPs). Eighteen of twenty children that were examined were normal, while two had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. EOE were evoked in all patients that presented normal BAEP thresholds, while they were absent in deaf subjects. Evoked otoacoustic emissions research allows us to identify two groups of subjects: those with normal EOE who can be considered normal hearing subjects, and those without EOE who may present a disturbed auditory system. Nevertheless, EOE testing does not allow us to judge the type of hearing loss. The time for EOE testing is approximately five minutes for each subject. On the grounds of their experience, the authors conclude that EOE testing represents a useful and reliable test which differentiates normal auditory function subjects from hypoacoustic ones. Compared to other techniques used in audiological paediatric diagnosis, such as reactometry, BOEL test and Crib. O. Gram, which present the possibility of false positive and false negative results, and BSERA, which even if reliable, must be limited to few selected audiological high-risk subjects, EOE is easy to implement and readily available. Major limitations of this technique seem to be the possibility of false positives, and the impossibility to specify localisation and type of the hearing loss by EOE only.

[Role of the tumor marker TAG-72 in head and neck neoplasms]. / Zur Rolle des Tumormarkers TAG-72 in den Neoplasien des Kopf-Hals-Bereiches.

The serum glycoprotein TAG-72 level was determined in 34 patients with chronic laryngitis or ENT malignancy. This marker is in widespread use in cases of gynaecological and gastrointestinal malignancy. TAG-72 levels did not differ significantly either from the levels of healthy subjects or in the post-operative follow-up, so that this indicator appears to be of no clinical value in head and neck oncology.