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Hearing aids miss CHOICE end point; 70.0% take opioids three months after head and neck radiation; fully implanted cochlear implant debuts in Europe
THE SHORT READ
Hearing aids did not significantly reduce conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia-level impairment in the 703-patient CHOICE trial, published Sept. 28 in JAMA Neurology with an editorial in JAMA Otolaryngology.
An Ohio State cohort found 70.0% of patients still took opioids three months after radiation for head and neck cancer, Med-El launched a cochlear implant with all components under the skin in Europe, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough device designation to a stent for pulsatile tinnitus.
THE DETAILS
- Research Sept 28, 2026Hearing aids miss primary dementia end point in CHOICE trial of 703 adults with hearing loss and MCIThe open-label CHOICE trial, run at three tertiary otology clinics and three community health stations in Shanghai, randomized 703 adults with MCI and moderate to severe hearing loss to a hearing aid intervention (353) or hearing care education (350). Conversion to dementia-level impairment over 24 months was 3.09% with hearing aids versus 4.74% with education, not a significant difference (P = .23), while a prespecified secondary analysis found cognitive improvement in 15.34% versus 2.36%. The study appeared Sept. 28 in JAMA Neurology, and JAMA Otolaryngology published an editorial, "Treating Hearing Loss and Improved Mild Cognitive Impairment."
- Research Oct 1, 2026In a single-institution cohort study published online Oct. 1 in JAMA Otolaryngology, 750 of 789 patients (95.1%) treated with definitive radiation or chemoradiation for nonmetastatic head and neck cancer at The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center received prescription opioids between diagnosis and six months after radiation. At three and six months after radiation, 70.0% and 47.3% were still taking opioids, including 57.8% and 37.8% of patients who had been opioid-naive. Prior opioid use, former smoking and palliative care referral were associated with use at three months, and the authors wrote that targeted opioid stewardship programs are merited.
- Business Sept 29, 2026Med-El said Sept. 29 that TICI UNICO, a cochlear implant with all components, including the microphone, implanted beneath the skin, has received CE Mark approval and is being introduced in various European markets. The Innsbruck, Austria, company called it the world's first and only commercially available totally invisible cochlear implant.Sources: Med-El, Med-El press room
- FDA Sept 29, 2026VS3 Medical announced Sept. 29 that the Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Device designation to its investigational VS3 system, Endovascular Today and NeuroNews International reported. According to the company, the designation is based on evidence that the system has the potential to resolve debilitating pulsatile tinnitus caused by venous sinus stenosis. The self-expanding VS3 stent is engineered to conform to the venous sinus and open intrinsic and extrinsic stenoses, the company said.Sources: NeuroNews International, Endovascular Today