Assessment of music experience after cochlear implantation:A review of current tools and their utilization

Objective:To provide an overview of the current available music assessment tools after cochlear implantation(Cl);to report on the utilization of music assessments in the literature;to propose potential future directions in music assessment after Cl.Methods:A thorough search was performed in PubMed,Embase,and The Cochrane Library through October 31,2020.MeSH search terms,keywords,and phrases included“fcochlear implant,”“fcochlear prosthesis,”“auditory prosthesis,”“music,”“music assessment,”“music questionnaire,”“music perception,”“musk enjoyment,and,fmusic experience.”Potentially relevant studies were reviewed for inclusion,with particular focus on assessments developed specifically for the cochlear implant population and intended for widespread use.Results/conclusions:Six hundred and forty-three studies were screened for relevance to assessment of music experience among cochlear implantees.Eighty-one studies ultimately met criteria for inclusion.There are multiple validated tools for assessment of music experience after cochlear implantation,each of which provide slightly differing insights into the patients1 subjective and/or objective post-activation experience.However,no single assessment tool has been adopted into widespread use and thus,much of the literature pertaining to this topic evaluates outcomes non-uniformly,including single-use assessments designed specifically for the study at hand.The lack of a widely accepted universal tool for assessment of music limits our collective understanding the contributory and mitigating factors applicable to current music experience of cochlear implantees,and limits our ability to uniformly evaluate the success of new implant technologies or music training paradigms.

Endoscopic sinus surgery and aspirin desensitization improve otologic-specific SNOT-22 scores

Objective:There are few studies evaluating the impact of Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease(AERD)treatment on otologic symptoms.The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of endoscopic sinus surgery(ESS)and aspirin desensitization(AD)on otologic symptoms in subjects with AERD.Methods:Retrospective chart review of adult patients diagnosed with AERD at our tertiary Care Academic Medical Center-Otorhinolaryngology Department.Charts of adult patients diagnosed with AERD who underwent ESS and ASA desensitization at our institution’s AERD Center from 2016 to 2019 were reviewed.Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test 22-item survey(SNOT-22)scores were evaluated for patients at various time points including:pre-surgery,post-surgery/pre-aspirin desensitization,and various times post-desensitization up to>12 months.Within the SNOT-22,otologic-specific subdomain scores were evaluated at similar time points.Patients on immunomodulatory medications other than corticosteroids were excluded from analysis.Results:SNOT-22 scores were analyzed for 121 patients.There was a significant improvement in overall SNOT scores from pre-surgery(44.62)to post surgery/pre-desensitization(23.34)(P<0.0005).Similarly,SNOT-22 otologic-specific scores also improved after surgery prior to desensitization(3.19-2.04)(P=0.005).Following AD,the improvement in the overall SNOT-22 continued to improve for up to 12 months(P<0.005).While the otologic-specific SNOT-22 scores remained stable after surgery and ASA desensitization.Conclusion:ESS and AD reduce otologic-specific SNOT-22 scores and parallel trends in overall SNOT-22 scores.The effect of treatment is durable over the course of 12 months.Future work should aim to correlate otologic SNOT-22 scores with objective otologic data.