Dear colleagues, It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the the LAU Otofest for Hearing and Balance Disorders symposium focused on the diagnosis and management of the various diseases that affect hearing and balance. We hope and trust that this conference will expose the participant to an in-depth perspective on the various pathologies that affect our patients’ hearing and balance including discussions of the latest guidelines in diagnosis, medical and surgical management. We firmly believe that the collegiate and scientific exchanges will solidify the bonds amongst professionals of various backgrounds and training. An emphasis is placed on a multidisciplinary team approach resulting in close collaboration between various specialties such as otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, audiology, neurology, internal medicine, neurosurgery, radiology, pathology, speech therapy and others that aim to offer the best care to our patients.

Millions of patients suffer from dizziness, vertigo, imbalance and hearing loss. These are increasing in incidence, especially with the aging population and the increased use of ototoxic medications such as chemotherapy and certain antibiotics. The increase in noise pollution in Lebanon also contributes to the pathophysiology of these disorders. These can be quite debilitating, affecting people’s sense of well-being, profession and livelihood. Symptoms are difficult to describe by the patient and quite challenging to diagnose and treat by the physicians.

65% of persons over 65 years of age experience vertigo or balance disorders, often on a daily basis which can result in serious patient falls, resulting in fractures, intracranial bleeding and sometimes death. Vertigo and dizziness can also be the presenting symptoms of more serious diseases, such as stroke and brain hemorrhage. According to the WHO, 360 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss, half of which are avoidable. One in Five persons aged 12 and older experiences hearing Loss severe enough to hinder communication. This is true for our region as well. Therefore, millions of patients could avoid the devastating effects of hearing loss with proper early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The rates of hearing loss worldwide have nearly doubled in the past 30 years. These conditions often start in childhood, where communication skills and overall development are greatly affected if not diagnosed and treated early.

The lectures will be presented by highly specialized and experienced faculty who will share their expertise and conduct a round table discussion of cases with audience participation.