Pediatric Audiology: Diagnosis, Technology, and Management

Review by L Flood
Middlesborough, UK

It often strikes me that our colleagues in both audiology and speech and language therapy produce at least as many (if not more) books than do all the subspecialties of our practice. I am part of a generation that relied on what are now obsolete tests for features of retrocochlear deafness (e.g. lack of recruitment or marked tone decay) to diagnose the occasional acoustic neuroma. A sound knowledge of audiology was then as fundamental to training as gene sequencing or molecular biology seem to be now. I will occasionally seek out a review of something that is not ‘mainstream’ ENT, if only because it might be so easily missed by our readers. These same authors will shortly be publishing a very similar casebook on paediatric audiology. I am very grateful to my friend and colleague for her review of this one. It is obviously aimed at a US, paediatric audiologist readership, but does have lessons for us all.

Review by K Blackmore
Middlesborough, UK

This is the third edition of a North American text written primarily for paediatric audiologists. Thirty-seven chapters are divided into four sections: hearing loss (essential information), diagnosing hearing disorders in infants and children, hearing access technologies for infants and children, and, finally, educational and clinical management of hearing loss in children.

Each chapter is well referenced, gives highlighted ‘pearls and pitfalls’, and provides questions for discussion to consolidate the reader’s understanding.
Understandably, as it is written for an audience of audiologists, the medical chapters are basic and will not provide the ENT audience with any great detail. However, there are some chapters that are an interesting read and would be of benefit to ENT trainees, particularly Chapter 1 detailing the auditory pathways and neuroplasticity. The chapters outlining diagnosis of hearing loss, particularly otoacoustic emissions, auditory brainstem responses and tympanometry, all provide a clear and understandable description of these audiological tests, which would be of benefit to those studying for the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons qualification.

Being a North American text, there are a lot of references to pathways and educational processes that occur in the USA, which obviously differ from those in the UK.

So, in summary, I would not suggest this as a text for ENT trainees or surgeons; however, if it is in your library, it would be worth picking up to read those chapters of interest and relevance when studying for examinations.

Amazon Link: Pediatric Audiology: Diagnosis, Technology, and Management
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