About the group

The main aim of our group is to conduct research related to ear and hearing, and to investigate how patients benefit from intervention, treatment, rehabilitation of ear surgery, including cochlear implantation; CI.

Research on diagnosis and treatment of superior semicircular canal dehiscence disorder has also become a main research aim of the group.

The research group is a multidisciplinary team consisting of medical doctors/ear surgeons; MD/PhD, audio physicists; MSc/PhD, audio pedagogues; special needs pedagogues and audiologists. This opens up for research within different disciplines and across disciplines. 

Our competences

  • CI surgery and ear surgery
  • Diagnosis of specific patient groups, e.g. Superior Canal Dehiscence
  • Special expertise in auditory evoked electrophysiologic measurements; ABR / ASSR
  • Special  expertise  in  measurements  during  CI-surgeries  with  ongoing research projects - with and without industrial collaborators
  • Special expertise in Auditory Verbal Therapy; AVT
  • Knowledge of speech perception and language development after CI
  • Radiological visualization during CI-surgery. Facilities are at the Intervention centre
  • Special expertise in visual reinforcement audiometry, VRA, used for small children
  • National treatment center for children with CI
  • Children with CI - the country’s total population
  • Adults with CI - 50% of the adults with CI in Norway
  • Industrial collaborators and possible future innovations

Ongoing PhD projects

  • Novel biomarker to detect the perilymphatic fistula, an underdiagnosed cause of balance and hearing dysfunction, Maksym Sithuko, MD (2024-2027)

Other research projects

  • A survey of hearing, language and quality of life in persons who received cochlear implants as children.
    Project funded by The Norwegian Directorate of Health, PI is Ona Bø Wie, ISP/UiO
  • Visualization of cochlear implant electrode and measurements of electrode insertion angle.
    Ralf Greisiger, Greg Jablonski, Muneera Iftikhar, Marie Bunne
  • Electrode position of electrode type CI532.
    Ralf Greisiger, Muneera Iftikhar, Greg Jablonski and Kjell Rasmussen
  • Electrocochleography using cochlear implant electrode - and whether it can be used for trauma detection.
    Torquill Sørensen and Ralf Greisiger
  • Hearing preservation of residual hearing of cochlear implant recipients.
    Ralf Greisiger, Muneera Iftikhar, Greg Jablonski
  • Speech perception in noise in typical hearing and CI-participants.
    Marte Myhrum
  • Development and validation of a consonant and vowel perception test for hearing impaired participants.
    Arne Rødvik
  • A decision-analytic model for projecting lifetime expected costs and quality of life (QoL) for individuals receiving CI.
    Collaboration with Emily Burger, Department of Health Economics and Health Management, UiO
  • Radiologic visualization of tuba auditiva.
    A collaborative PhD-prosject with the Radiology department at OUH
    Benedicte Falkenberg-Jensen, Greg Jablonski
  • Tinnitus in Helicopter pilots.
    A collaborative PhD project with the Institute of Aviation Medicine and Institute of Health and Society, UiO
    Co-supervisor Greg Jablonski 

Investigator initiated research clinical projects

We collaborate with all three major companies of CI-technology: Advanced Bionics, Cochlear, Med-EL. Some of the projects are investigator initiated projects with external funding. The investigator initiated research clinical projects are within the areas of

  • Hearing preservation and electrocochlegraphy
  • Optimalization of the CI electrode position with intraoperative measurements and real-time X-ray imaging
  • Robot surgery and minimally invasive CI

Retrospective studies

Retrospective studies of different patient groups are included in the research group assignment. Internal register data are used for this purpose.

Participation in external projects

  • Radiologic visualization of tuba audiva.
    PhD project with the Department of Radiology, Benedicte Falkenberg-Jensen, Co-supervisors Greg Jablonski and Juha Silvola
  • Tinnitus in Helicopter pilots.
    PhD project with Institute of Aviation Medicine and Institute of Health and Society, Co-supervisor Greg Jablonski
  • Working Conditions in the Control Room; WCCR.
    PI Brita Bjørkelo, The Norwegian Police University College, together with Eva Oddrun Langvik, NTNU, Anniken Grønstad, Oslo New University College og Marte Myhrum, UiO/OUH