Ensuring the Successful Repair of Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence
By Mia Miller, MD and Helena Wichova, MD In the last two decades, superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome has become a more familiar diagnosis. Patients usually complain of sound and pressure-induced dizziness, trouble hearing, ear fullness, and hearing one’s heartbeat or breathing. When we suspect this diagnosis, a high-resolution computed tomography (CT) helps identify an…
Celebrating 75 Years of Changing Lives Like David’s
By Javia Headley, Marketing Communications Manager In 1946, when Dr. Howard House first founded what is now the House Institute Foundation (HIF), he dreamed of helping patients like David. At that time, there were not many options for those struggling with hearing-related disease. He hoped an institution dedicated to hearing research and education for hearing…
Intraoperative Fluorescence
Intraoperative fluorescence has been studied in various surgical fields to gain a better view of important structures, such as blood vessels and tumors. The House Institute Foundation’s research team used an injectable compound to enhance the identification of the tumor-nerve interface in patients undergoing vestibular schwannoma (acoustic neuroma) surgery. This technique uses light in near-infrared…
Tinnitus Drug Trial
The House Institute participated in an industry-sponsored trial for an experimental medication that treats severe tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. The trial required that we recruit patients with severe tinnitus in one ear that had been present no longer than six months. The medication was injected through the eardrum (tympanic membrane), then absorbed into…