The inner ear disorder that restores hearing (“Le vertige qui fait entendre”) is rare. A vertigo attack leads to an improvement in hearing. It was first described in 1919 by the French otolaryngologist , Marcel Lermoyez. Marcel Lermoyez (Source: Wikipedia) Lermoyez syndrome(LS), as it is also referred to, is considered to be [...]
Every pregnant women should know about ear molding. For a mother to inspect her new born baby from head to toe, counting ten fingers and toes is a natural act. Scrutinizing the ears is no exception. Unfortunately, subtle ear abnormalities may often be overlooked. Ear rim abnormality at birth Ear deformities are characterized [...]
Have you ever been shoved to the ground by the invisible hand ? If so, you may be suffering from drop attacks. A drop attack is a very distressing and potentially serious occurrence during which a patient suddenly falls to the ground. Drop attacks may occur in Meniere's disease It occurs spontaneously, and [...]
In April 2018 I had the privilege to partake in four cochlear implantations in Namibia. We implanted four patients, three adults and a child. It was again great to team up with my fellow ear nose and throat surgeon, Dr Stephan van der Westhuizen. The team that performed the cochlear implants in Namibia [...]
Hearing preservation is possible in vestibular schwannoma surgery. A vestibular schwannoma (also called an acoustic neuroma) is a non-cancerous growth on the nerve of the inner ear. Hearing preservation surgery for vestibular schwannoma is possible with the transtemporal supralabyrinthine approach The transtemporal supralabyrinthine (middle cranial fossa) approach offers surgeons the possibility to remove [...]
The ADHEAR adhesive bone vibrating hearing device is internationally used as a treatment modality for some types of hearing loss. The ADHEAR hearing device The ADHEAR System from MEDEL is a revolutionary adhesive, non-surgical bone conduction hearing system that vibrates the skull, therefore bypassing the middle ear pathology and conductive hearing loss. This [...]
Can what I eat cause vertigo is probably the second most common question I am asked. The most common is… can stress cause my vertigo? Salt contains sodium that may contribute towards Meniere's disease. Now, trying to answer that is like opening a can of worms! We all have stress, but not all [...]
Vestibular schwannoma and quality of life are interlinked when it comes to the management of patients. Quality of life (QOL), when referring to health related matters, is the way in which a patient interprets his own quality of living in daily life, related to disease or disability. It is a measure of well- being [...]
Stem cell therapy for the treatment of hearing and vestibular loss. What an existing possibility? But wat is the current situation and is this an option in 2018? Stem cells can restore inner ear structures. (Modified from Wikepedia image) A stem cell is a non-differentiated living cell that has the potential to differentiate [...]
Listeria may cause hearing loss and vertigo. With the recent outbreak of Listeriosis in South Africa (SA) it is important that the public be made aware off the potential complications of hearing loss, vertigo, disequilibrium and facial nerve palsy. The bacterium Listeria In SA more that 60 patients have recently died from Listeria, [...]