About the Researcher

David Lee, MD received his medical degree from University of California, San Francisco, and is now a T32 resident in Otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on advancing techniques in inner ear imaging to improve management of hearing instability disorders.

About the Research

Optical Coherence Tomography of Inner Ear Structures: Using Novel Imaging Technology to Investigate Meniere’s Disease and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Hearing instability disorders, like Meniere’s disease and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), are poorly understood and inadequately treated. Steroids have been standard of care for decades, but their results have been inconsistent. Progress towards improving patient outcomes has been challenged by an inability to detect pathology within the inner ear, where hearing instability disorders are thought to occur. Currently, otolaryngologists rely on patient history and audiograms to guide clinical decisions. This makes diagnosis ambiguous and monitoring response to treatment difficult.

Imaging is an attractive method for monitoring disorders of hearing instability because it is non-invasive and provides objective data. However, current imaging techniques like CT and MRI are unable to adequately view the microstructures within the inner ear. Our project seeks to use optical coherence tomography, a light-based imaging modality, to view structures in the inner ear to assist with diagnosing and monitoring hearing instability disorders.