Development of a Medical and Educational Intervention Program and Follow-Up System for Children with Hearing Loss in Tokushima

The division of pediatric otology was established in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of Tokushima University Hospital in 2000, and continues to examine children with hearing loss living in Tokushima Prefecture. Pediatric otolaryngologists in the division of pediatric otology are engaged in the diagnosis and follow-up of hearing loss, hearing aid fitting, and performance of cochlear implant surgery in pediatric patients with hearing loss. In particular, they are also involved in performing genetic analyses and providing counseling, constituting multidisciplinary conferences for determining the indications for cochlear implantation, and cartilage-conduction hearing aid fitting.