Hearing results and causes of failure with three types of ossicular reconstruction techniques over an infact stapes, during second-stage intact canal wall tympanoplasty, are reporte herein.

The three types of reconstruction are: fitted autologous incuc (38 cases): PlastiporeTM PORP with cartilage (41 cases): PlastiporeTM PORP without cartilage (32 cases).

A residual air-bone gap within 15 dB. was found in 63.2 per cent of fitted incudes, in 41.5 per cent of PORPs with cartilage, and in only 37 per cent of PORPs without cartilage.

Eighty-four per cent fitted incudes, 63 per cent PORPs with cartilage and 44 per cent PORPs without cartilage yielded a residual air-bone gap within 25 dB.

Extrusion has been the main cause of failure among PlastiporeTM prostheses.

The Cologne-Diiren research group has developed a new extracochlear eight-channel electrode system. The first observations on six cases have shown encouraging psychoacoustic results.

Transdermal scopolamine medication has been evaluated in 30 cases of acute peripheral vertigo. The double blind study revealed favourable effects, e.g. in Menière's disease. The best compromise between effect and side-effects was one active medication patch. The side-effects were those described for scopolamine, such as blurred vision and dryness of the mouth. Transdermal scopolamine seems to offer an alternative form of medication in acute peripheral vertigo.

The relationship between serum lidocaine levels and tinnitus relief was assessed in 5 patients during intermittent intravenous infusions of the drug. Experiments were conducted under controlled conditions in that neither the attending physician nor the patient was aware of whether active drug or placebo was being infused at any particular time. A significant relationship between serum level and effect was observed in two patients. In the remaining patients this relationship was not readily apparent but there was still a trent for a better response to be seen at higher levels. A satisfactory response was generally seen at levels above 1 μg/m1. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the transient nature of the symptomatic relief caused by lidocaine is related ot the fast clearance of the drug from the body.

Eng recordings showed abnormal findings in subjects affects by Usher's syndrome and in unaffected siblings. Unaffected subjects with hearing impairment may be heterozygote carriers with inner ears more sensitive to various injurious stimulti, e.g. noise, than those of healthy subjects. Vestibular tests may facilitate the detection of heterozygote carriers but the number of patients studied by us is too small to allow definitive conclusions to be reached.

For the purpose of this study, acoustic signals were generated by an Amplaid MK VI. An Amplaid 702 impedence meter was connected to its averaging section and to its computer. The stimuli were bursts of unfiltered white noise (UWN) and of narrow band white noise (NBWN; 30 db./oct/slope; central frequencies 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 Hz.) lasting 3–1,000 msec, at intensity of 105 db. SPL p.e. The following parameters were evaluated: stapedius contraction latency, amplitude, duration and recruitment time. It was found that latency was independent of the spectrum of the stimulus and its duration. Amplitude and recruitment time, on the other hand, were related to spectrum and duration, while duration of contraction was directly related to the duration of the stimulus only.

We present in this paper the indications for bony reconstruction following mandibular resection, together with evaluation of the reconstructive techniques available. Case reports illustrate methods we have found satisfactory and are followed by our recommendations for their specific use.