ABSTRACTBackground: cochlear implants are electronic devices that convert sound energy into electrical signals to stimulate ganglion cells and cochlear nerve fibers. These devices are indicated for patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing losses who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids. The implant basically takes over the function of the cochlear hair cells. The implant consists of external components (microphone, speech processor and transmitting coil) and internal components (receiver stimulator and electrode array). The implant is inserted via a trans mastoid facial recess approach to the round window and scala tympani.Objectives: to determine the effectiveness and safety of non fixation method in cochlear implantation.Methods: a prospective study carried out from September 2009 to September 2012 in Gazi Hariri Hospital. Eighty patients with congenital severe –profound sensorineural hearing loss prepared for cochlear implantation involved in the study and divided into 2 groups. Group A includes 40 patients in whom the internal device was fixed to the skull by nylon suture materials through small burr holes on both sides of the well. Group B includes 40 patients in whom the internal device placed in a tight sub pericranial pocket without nylon fixation to the skull. All patients followed postoperatively for 6 months observing wound healing and local complications (hematoma, infection, wound dehiscence, device extrusion and migration).Results: mean age 4.2 years and male-female ratio was 1.3:1.Group A: 1 patient (2.5%) developed minor wound infection treated conservatively. Three patients (7.5%) developedsevere wound infection with wound breakdown and device extrusion despite the use of antibiotics and local rotational flaps, the device was explanted in those 3 patients. Two patients (5%) developed hematoma without history of trauma and treated conservatively. One patient (2.5%) had device migration without affection of its function.Group B: 2 patients developed minor wound infection treated conservatively. One patient (2.5%) had severe wound infection ends up with wound dehiscence and device extrusion despite the use of antibiotics and local rotational flaps. Explantation of the device was done for this patient. Hematoma occurred in one patient (2.5%) without history of trauma and treated conservatively. Another one patient (2.5%) developed device migration without impairment of its function.Conclusion: creation of sub pericranial pocket without internal device fixation by nylon materials is an effective and reliable method in cochlear implantation without compromising the patient safety or device performance.Key words: cochlear implantation, non- fixation, sub pericranial pocket
Clinical index is needed to predict the outcome of pregnancy after in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) for infertile patients. Growth differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), also known as myostatin, is one of transforming growth factor-â superfamily localized in antral follicles in normal and PCOS ovaries but its function in female reproductive system is still unknown. Aim of the study is to assess the correlation between levels of GDF8 in follicular fluid (FF) with outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF/ICSI) in women with and without PCOS. A prospective case control study was performed enrolling (40) patients with PCOS and (40) non-PCOS women (male infertility) undergoing IVF/ICSI. The collect
... Show MoreThis paper aims to decide the best parameter estimation methods for the parameters of the Gumbel type-I distribution under the type-II censorship scheme. For this purpose, classical and Bayesian parameter estimation procedures are considered. The maximum likelihood estimators are used for the classical parameter estimation procedure. The asymptotic distributions of these estimators are also derived. It is not possible to obtain explicit solutions of Bayesian estimators. Therefore, Markov Chain Monte Carlo, and Lindley techniques are taken into account to estimate the unknown parameters. In Bayesian analysis, it is very important to determine an appropriate combination of a prior distribution and a loss function. Therefore, two different
... Show MoreStumpff functions are an infinite series that depends on the value of z. This value results from multiplying the reciprocal semi-major axis with a universal anomaly. The purpose from those functions is to calculate the variation of the universal parameter (variable) using Kepler's equation for different orbits. In this paper, each range for the reciprocal of the semi-major axis, universal anomaly, and z is calculated in order to study the behavior of Stumpff functions C(z) and S(z). The results showed that when z grew, Stumpff functions for hyperbola, parabola, and elliptical orbits were also growing. They intersected and had a tendency towards zero for both hyperbola and parabola orbits, but for elliptical orbits, Stumpff functions
... Show MoreThe importance of the current research lies in the importance of teaching competencies and the ability of the teacher to deal and success in his educational career. The research aimed to identify the degree of teaching competencies according to Hermann model of physical education teachers in Baghdad governorate. The descriptive method using the survey method was used on a randomly selected sample of 462 teachers and 314 school principals. After the completion of the survey, the Hermann scale forms were distributed to the teachers. The forms of the teaching competency scale were distributed to their school principals as the direct supervisors of the teachers' evaluation. After completing the survey, the results of each scale were classified
... Show MoreIn the current analysis, the effects of circumferential scratches along the inner surface of a 170ᵒ -arc partial journal bearing has been numerically investigated. Their impact on the thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic performance characteristics, including maximum pressure, temperature, deformation, and stress, has been examined thoroughly. The ANSYS Fluent CFD commercial code was employed to tackle the iterative solution of flow and heat transfer patterns in the fluid film domain. They are then applied to the ANSYS Static Structure solver to compute the deformation and stress resulted in the solid bearing zone. A wide range of operating conditions has been considered, including the eccentricity ratio ( ) and scratch depth (
... Show MoreThis work deals with thermal cracking of three samples of extract lubricating oil produced as a by-product from furfural extraction process of lubricating oil base stock in AL-Dura refinery. The thermal cracking processes were carried out at a temperature range of 325-400 ºC and atmospheric pressure by batch laboratory reactor. The distillation of cracking liquid products was achieved by general ASTM distillation (ASTM D -86) for separation of gasoline fraction up to 220 ºC from light cycle oil fraction above 220 ºC. The comparison between the conversions at different operating conditions of thermal cracking processes indicates that a high conversion was obtained at 375°C, according to gasoline production. According to gasoline produ
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