Friday 9:00 am - 11:00 am

Hair Cell Regeneration: Current Research

Yehoash Raphael, PhD
Professor Kresge Hearing Research Institute
University of Michigan

Currently, medical treatments for patients with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss are limited. Hearing aids and cochlear implants provide users with greater access to sound by working within the impaired system. Biological therapies have the potential to reestablish cochlear function. There are different approaches currently being developed to restore function or replace missing hair cells including hair cell regeneration, stem cell transplantation or implantation of cells similar to hair cells. More radical approaches involve tissue engineering of the auditory nerve to essentially bypass the hair cells. While there are many hurdles that need to be overcome and none of these approaches is likely to yield completely normal hearing, the potential exists to provide patients with profound hearing loss improved hearing which may be similar or better than cochlear implants without the need for external equipment. This presentation will provide an overview of current research in this exciting area. CEU:0.2

“Practicing” Hearing Loss Prevention

Deanna Meinke, PhD
University of Northern Colorado

New technologies exist for measuring individual noise exposures and determining hearing protector effectiveness by establishing personal attenuation ratings (PARs). These techniques are easily implemented in a variety of practice settings and offer opportunities for long-term revenue streams and marketing alternatives. For example, educational audiologists can measure the noise exposure of students, private and clinical practice audiologists can measure the noise exposure of their patient and then dispense and fit earplugs and/or earmuffs specific to the exposure, hospital-based audiologists can offer preventive and monitoring services for operating room and emergency personnel. Successful audiology practice management requires responsible fiscal rationale and practical justification for adding new or enhanced audiological services. Therefore, this session will review these new technologies, applicable CPT codes and revenue considerations. Preventive services will be in greater demand in the future. From a public health perspective, audiologists are essential to the successful prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus throughout the lifespan. Each of you are uniquely positioned to implement and expand hearing loss prevention services and revenue streams within your practice setting and move our profession well beyond the traditional regulatory compliant, industrial hearing conservation service delivery model. CEU:0.2

Pediatric Hearing Loss: What Your ENT is Thinking

Marc Thorne, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Otolaryngology
University of Michigan Medical Center

A complete otolaryngology evaluation of a child with hearing loss can provide valuable information to family members and audiologists. This session will go beyond PE tubes and hearing aid clearance to increase your understanding of the role of the otolaryngologist. The recently released Michigan EHDI “Otolaryngologic Evaluation of Infants with Hearing Loss” will be reviewed. The rationale for various components of this document will be discussed along with case presentations to illustrate their utility. Other otologic diseases prevalent among children will be shared along with factors which may influence recommendations for medical intervention. CEU:0.2