Mediterr J Otol 2005:1(1):45-53.

Recent advances in medical otology-neurotology

Hamid M.
Cleveland Hearing & Balance Center, Cleveland, OH, USA. hamidma@clevelandhearingbalance.com

Recent advances in medical neurotology, basic science, and clinical investigations have greatly increased our understanding and ability to manage patients with disorders of the inner ear. The field is becoming more focused on the molecular biology of the inner ear to refine our understanding and the differential diagnoses of multilevel disorders. The time will come for us to utilize some novel diagnostic criteria that are very different from what is currently being used. For example, we may have to redefine Ménière’s diseases and sudden hearing loss in terms of their molecular features. It is not unrealistic to predict that surgery for inner ear disorders will be replaced by direct perfusion of inner ear modulators to abort diseases in their earliest stage. The future of medical neurotology is evolving as a unique discipline of medicine with its own training and subspecialization dedicated to hearing and balance disorders.