It now offers the entire spectrum of instrumentation. Some of its latest additions include the Tinnitus Evaluation and Rehabilitation Programme (TERP) and Vertigo Management.

Tinnitus Evaluation and Rehabilitation Programme (TERP)

The TERP is a 6-month treatment programme for tinnitus sufferers. Patients will receive holistic therapy from a multidisciplinary team comprising an ENT doctor, a tinnitus counsellor and a psychologist.

The treatment involves sound therapy and instrumentation including sound generators. Various types of digital sound generators are available in CGH and they can be programmed to match the tinnitus pitches as follows:

• 4-channel behind-the-ear digital noise generator that can be configured according to the pure-tone audiometry data in order to realise an audible masking noise.
  
  
• 2-channel behind-the-ear digital hearing aid with a masking noise feature designed especially for those who require hearing amplification and tinnitus masking.
  
  
• 4-channel modular Completely-In-Canal digital noise generator that can be fitted deep in the ear canal.

Vertigo Management

Endolymphatic swelling or hydrop of the inner ear causes Meniere's disease, a common cause of vertigo. The Meniett device is a recent development in the management of Meniere's disease.

The ENT surgeon performs a simple procedure to place a ventilation tube in the eardrum. Through a tube connected to an ear-piece placed in the outer ear, the Meniett device delivers controlled low-pressure air pulses. The energy of the low-pressure pulses displaces the excess inner ear fluid to normalise the symptoms of the disease.

Services available at CGH Hearing Aid Clinic

Complete audiological evaluation and counselling services Professional hearing aid selection and fitting by audiologists experienced with hearing aids Provision of full spectrum of custom-made hearing aids such as the Completely-In-The-Ear (CIC), In-The-Canal (ITC), In-The-Ear (ITE) and Behind-The-Ear (BTE) models.

Occlusion and own-voice issues – new solutions for an age-old problem

An often-heard complaint from first-time hearing-aid users is that their voices sound unnatural, like they were talking inside a barrel. Another common grouse is the loud chewing noise they hear inside their heads when eating.

These problems are the result of occlusion and the effect of amplification of the hearing aid user's voice. It is caused by the resonance of sound when the ear canal is blocked by either the hearing aid or the custom-made ear mould.

The CGH Hearing Aid Clinic offers the following solutions for this problem:

Open-fitting hearing aid These are digital hearing aids fitted Behind-The-Ear (BTE) and connected to a highly ventilated off-the-shelf ear-tip. The relatively large ventilation reduces the occlusion effect to a great extent. But as the aids are worn behind the ears, they are not popular among younger patients due to aesthetic reasons.       Retro-X semi-implantable hearing aid The Retro-X is a new semi-implantable hearing aid designed for high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss or deafness. Unlike the conventional hearing aid, Retro-X does not obstruct the external ear canal and so is able to provide selective amplification of high frequency sounds. The sound quality is also more natural and the device does not interfere with any radiologic imaging. With this truly open-ear. With this truly open-ear device, patients can avoid the occlusion problem and preserve the "natural ear" effect such as outer ear resonance and directional hearing.       To make an appointment, please call the CGH Appointment Centre at 6850 3333.

Contributed by: Mr Tan Boon Hai (Senior Audiologist), Dr Eng Soh Ping (ENT Consultant)