a joint program of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and The LSU Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

7777 Hennessy Boulevard
Suite 709
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808
225-765-7735

The Our Lady of the Lake Hearing and Balance Center is unique to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, offering coordinated and comprehensive services devoted specifically to restoring and maintaining the function of the auditory and vestibular systems. Within this environment, physicians have access to the latest treatment modalities and research protocols to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of Hearing and Balance Center patients.

Improving Quality of Life

Through a multidisciplinary approach to assessment, diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and research, the Our Lady of the Lake Hearing and Balance Center provides an academically based, cost-effective, thorough level of care that benefits patients and referring physicians.

Few facilities in the country concentrate on comprehensive treatment of hearing, balance and other ear disorders. Auditory and vestibular problems are common complaints of people of all ages - often striking during their most productive years and seriously decreasing their quality of life. For this reason, Our Lady of the Lake recognized the need for collaborative, high-quality treatment. After treatment, patients are returned back to their referring physician.

At Our Lady of the Lake's Hearing and Balance Center, the latest diagnostic modalities and recent advances in surgical and medical techniques permit improved care of these conditions, and enables us to provide hope for an improved lifestyle for patients with these disorders.

Conditions managed through the Center

• Hearing Loss and Balance Disorders from any cause including:
• Childhood hearing loss
• Chronic Infections and Otosclerosis
• Aging and Autoimmune hearing loss
• Loss from Trauma, Noise, and Ototoxicity
• Meniere's Disease, Vertigo, and Fistula
• Migraine Associated Dizziness
• Multifactor Disequilibrium and Fall Risk
• Skull Base Tumors including: Acoustic Neuroma and Meningioma
• Glomus Tumors
• Bell's Palsy and Facial Nerve Paralysis
• Ear Cancer

Diagnostic testing

Although patients who suffer from hearing loss or tinnitus continue to present a challenge to the medical profession, new technological and medical advances allow many patients to be successfully evaluated and treated. Modern technological advancements at the Our Lady of the Lake Hearing and Balance Center include a broad array of diagnostic testing equipment. Among the many tests offered are audiograms for determining basic hearing ability and word recognition, middle ear analysis for evaluating the mechanical functioning of the tympanic membrane and ossicles, and special tests to identify abnormalities in the auditory pathway. Other diagnostic tests of auditory function include:

• Oto-acoustic emissions
• Brainstem response audiometry
• Electrocochleography
• Central auditory processing evaluations
• Soundfield Audiometry
• Tinnitus Pitch and Intensity Matching

The center also provides comprehensive evaluation of patients with dizziness, loss of equilibrium and other vestibular disorder using computerized balance testing, electronystagmography (ENG) and optokinetic testing and other state-of-the-art
techniques including:

• Rotational Chair including Off-axis otolith testing
• Infra-red Video Oculography for VNG and Positional Testing
• Computerized Dynamic Posturography
• Vestibular Autorotation Testing
• Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials

Telemedicine consultation is an advanced treatment that offers our patients a unique service integrating on-site testing and evaluation with real-time off-site diagnostic interpretation and treatment. Special features of this evaluation include: computerized digital storage and image review of video-oto-endoscopy, radiology studies, and vestibular oculography.

Special Services

Skull based surgery: a multidisciplinary approach for treating acoustic neuroma and other skull base tumors including neurotology, neurosurgery, audiology, and electrophysiologic cranial nerve monitoring.

Inner Ear Profusion: treating the ear with active inner ear medications as an office procedure for sudden hearing loss, Meniere's disease and tinnitus.

Implantable Hearing Devices: Cochlear Implants, BAHA implants and implantable hearing aids

Telemedicine: digital data transfer and offsite video consultation for evaluation and treatment of complex hearing and vestibular disorders.

Other Advanced Treatments Include:
Micro-laser middle ear surgery: A special argon laser permits intraoperative vaporization of cholesteatoma, scar and calcium in cases of chronic infection or hearing loss from otosclerosis and fixation of the ossicles.

Revision Ear Surgery: The center specializes in the most difficult cases when patients continue to suffer from ear infection or hearing loss after previous ear surgery.

Facial Nerve Paralysis: While most cases of Bell's palsy are best managed with medication, the center offers specialized ENOG testing which identifies the severe cases where decompression of the facial nerve can improve recovery and maximize long term facial function.

Endolymphatic Sac Decompression: This outpatient treatment improves inner ear fluid drainage in Meniere's disease or endolymphatic hydrops which usually resolves the most severe symptoms of Meniere's disease.

Vestibular Nerve Surgery: When medications no longer help, vestibular nerve surgery can be highly effective to eliminate recurring attacks of vertigo even after years of recurring dizziness.

Hearing Preservation Acoustic Neuroma Surgery: Acoustic Tumors arise from the hearing and balance nerve. When identified early, these tumors can be removed with special Middle Foss or Retrosigmoid techniques which permit hearing preservation and excellent facial and balance function.

The priority of the Hearing and Balance Center team is to improve the auditory and vestibular functioning of patients and maximize their potential for recovery. It is the team's goal to work in conjunction with each patient's personal physician to return the patient to his optimal level of functioning and overall health.

Our Team Members

Moisés A. Arriaga, MD, MBA, FACS
Medical Director
Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery
Director of Otology and Neurotology
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

James Lin, MD
Assistant Professor
Section of Otology and Neurotology Department of Otolaryngology
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

Audiology
Patti St. John, MCD, CCC-A
Instructor, LSU Department of Otolaryngology
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

Elizabeth Montgomery, MA, CCC-A
Instructor, LSU Department of Otolaryngology
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans

How to Reach Us
Individuals may refer themselves or be referred by their primary care physician or specialist to the Our Lady of the Lake Hearing and Balance Center. The Center accepts most major insurances plans.

To schedule an appointment for your patient with a physician at Our Lady of the Lake's Hearing and Balance Center, call (225) 765-7735.