House Ear Institute
Encyclopedia
The House Ear Institute (HEI) http://www.hei.org is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, based in Los Angeles
, and dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. Established in 1946 by Howard P. House
, M.D., as the Los Angeles Foundation of Otology, and later renamed for its founder, the House Ear Institute has been engaged in the scientific exploration of the auditory system from the ear canal to the cortex of the brain for over 62 years.
Institute scientists investigate hearing loss and ear disease at the cellular and molecular level, as well as the complex neurological interactions between the auditory system and the brain. They are also working to improve hearing aids and auditory implants, diagnostics, clinical treatments, and intervention methods. House researchers work with House Clinic physicians to integrate medicine and science through clinical and research trials that may directly benefit patients.
The Institute shares its knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through its education and outreach programs. House Clinic physicians volunteer their time to teach specialty courses in the House Ear Institute's professional education programs, attended by more than 22,000 doctors and research fellows since 1946. Outreach programs for the public serve people with hearing loss and related disorders as well as offer information about general hearing health and hearing conservation.
Today, the House Ear Institute's five-story facility accommodates more than 180 researchers and administrators within 22 departments. The recent growth of its research studies has led to the construction of the Institute's new Wallis Annenberg Research Center that is slated for completion in September 2008.
Since 1946, the House Ear Institute has led the way in defining the causes of hearing and balance disorders, improving medical/surgical procedures and prosthetic devices. The Institute's discoveries have helped millions of people receive successful treatments.
In 1969, William F. House, M.D.—brother of Howard—implanted the first three patients with the cochlear implant
at House Ear Institute. Since then, the Los Angeles-based House Ear Institute has grown into the world's foremost private research institute for otology
and hearing science http://www.hearinginstitute.org/news/facts/heifact.htm.
House Ear Institute's historical advancements in hearing sciences include the development of the first clinically useful cochlear implant
and auditory brainstem implant
as well as the introduction of the first the middle cranial fossa and then the translabyrinthine approach
for removal of acoustic neuroma
s. The translabyrinthine approach
uses the operating microscope and reduced mortality rates from 40% (in California) to less than 1%. It has also developed a variety of diagnostic tests, including the Hearing In Noise Test (HINT), the first hearing test that measures an individual's functional hearing ability in everyday environments where background noise is present (see also: King-Kopetzky syndrome
), the ABaer screening device for detecting hearing loss in infants, and the Stacked ABR, a highly accurate screening device to detect the presence or absence of acoustic neuromas.
House Ear Institute and its companion facility, House Ear Clinic http://www.houseearclinic.com, are affiliated with the University of Southern California School of Medicine
and provide instruction in otology to the otolaryngology
residents at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
. The doctors at the House Ear Institute and Clinic have trained two to three Clinical Fellows a year in Otology Fellowship after completion of ENT residency. Through the Clinical Otology Fellowships, about one hundred fully trained otologists have carried the House techniques around the world and to other clinical training programs. Through one and two week surgical temporal bone courses, thousands of doctors from every continent have come to study ear surgery. To date, over 22,000 doctors have received training in their facilities.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. Established in 1946 by Howard P. House
Howard P. House
Howard Payne House, M.D. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. House founded the House Ear Institute in 1946 in Los Angeles, CA, and is often considered to be the father of modern otology...
, M.D., as the Los Angeles Foundation of Otology, and later renamed for its founder, the House Ear Institute has been engaged in the scientific exploration of the auditory system from the ear canal to the cortex of the brain for over 62 years.
Institute scientists investigate hearing loss and ear disease at the cellular and molecular level, as well as the complex neurological interactions between the auditory system and the brain. They are also working to improve hearing aids and auditory implants, diagnostics, clinical treatments, and intervention methods. House researchers work with House Clinic physicians to integrate medicine and science through clinical and research trials that may directly benefit patients.
The Institute shares its knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through its education and outreach programs. House Clinic physicians volunteer their time to teach specialty courses in the House Ear Institute's professional education programs, attended by more than 22,000 doctors and research fellows since 1946. Outreach programs for the public serve people with hearing loss and related disorders as well as offer information about general hearing health and hearing conservation.
Today, the House Ear Institute's five-story facility accommodates more than 180 researchers and administrators within 22 departments. The recent growth of its research studies has led to the construction of the Institute's new Wallis Annenberg Research Center that is slated for completion in September 2008.
Since 1946, the House Ear Institute has led the way in defining the causes of hearing and balance disorders, improving medical/surgical procedures and prosthetic devices. The Institute's discoveries have helped millions of people receive successful treatments.
In 1969, William F. House, M.D.—brother of Howard—implanted the first three patients with the cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
at House Ear Institute. Since then, the Los Angeles-based House Ear Institute has grown into the world's foremost private research institute for otology
Otology
Otology is a branch of biomedicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as its diseases, diagnosis and treatment....
and hearing science http://www.hearinginstitute.org/news/facts/heifact.htm.
House Ear Institute's historical advancements in hearing sciences include the development of the first clinically useful cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
and auditory brainstem implant
Auditory brainstem implant
An Auditory Brain Stem Implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf, due to sensorineural hearing impairment .The auditory brain stem implant uses similar technology as the cochlear implant, but...
as well as the introduction of the first the middle cranial fossa and then the translabyrinthine approach
Translabyrinthine approach
The translabyrinthine approach is a surgical approach to the cerebellopontine angle, or CPA. It is used in the surgical extirpation of lesions of the cerebellopontine angle, including acoustic neuroma....
for removal of acoustic neuroma
Acoustic neuroma
A vestibular schwannoma, often called an acoustic neuroma, is a benign primary intracranial tumor of the myelin-forming cells of the vestibulocochlear nerve . The term "vestibular schwannoma" involves the vestibular portion of the 8th cranial nerve and arises from Schwann cells, which are...
s. The translabyrinthine approach
Translabyrinthine approach
The translabyrinthine approach is a surgical approach to the cerebellopontine angle, or CPA. It is used in the surgical extirpation of lesions of the cerebellopontine angle, including acoustic neuroma....
uses the operating microscope and reduced mortality rates from 40% (in California) to less than 1%. It has also developed a variety of diagnostic tests, including the Hearing In Noise Test (HINT), the first hearing test that measures an individual's functional hearing ability in everyday environments where background noise is present (see also: King-Kopetzky syndrome
King-Kopetzky syndrome
King–Kopetzky syndrome is an auditory disability which appears as clinically as a “normal” hearing threshold.It is also known as auditory processing disorder or auditory disability with normal hearing ,...
), the ABaer screening device for detecting hearing loss in infants, and the Stacked ABR, a highly accurate screening device to detect the presence or absence of acoustic neuromas.
House Ear Institute and its companion facility, House Ear Clinic http://www.houseearclinic.com, are affiliated with the University of Southern California School of Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of USC
The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California is a major center of medical research, education and patient care. Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine is the oldest medical school in Southern California.Located on the university’s Health Sciences campus three miles ...
and provide instruction in otology to the otolaryngology
Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
residents at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, also known as County/USC, by the abbreviation LAC+USC, or by the name Los Angeles County General, is a 600-bed public teaching hospital located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California...
. The doctors at the House Ear Institute and Clinic have trained two to three Clinical Fellows a year in Otology Fellowship after completion of ENT residency. Through the Clinical Otology Fellowships, about one hundred fully trained otologists have carried the House techniques around the world and to other clinical training programs. Through one and two week surgical temporal bone courses, thousands of doctors from every continent have come to study ear surgery. To date, over 22,000 doctors have received training in their facilities.