Single-Sided Deafness: Impact of Cochlear Implantation on Speech Perception in Complex Noise and on Auditory Localization Accuracy.
Objective To assess auditory localization accuracy and speech reception threshold (SRT) in complex noise conditions in adult patients with acquired single-sided deafness, after intervention with a cochlear implant (CI) in the deaf ear. Study design Nonrandomized, open, prospective patient series. Setting Tertiary referral university hospital. Patients Eleven patients with late-onset single-sided deafness (SSD) and normal hearing in the unaffected ear, who received a CI. All patients were experienced CI users. Intervention Unilateral cochlear implantation. Main outcome measures Speech perception was tested in a complex multitalker equivalent noise field consisting of multiple sound sources. …
Management of Cochlear Implant Electrode Migration.
The present study reviewed a cochlear implant (CI) patient population after surgery, which received a free-fitting electrode carrier designed for hearing preservation. The aim was to determine the rate of electrode migration of the CI electrodes and present clinical and surgical implications.Retrospective patient review.Tertiary referral university hospital.Two hundred seventy-eight patients implanted uni- or bilaterally with lateral wall electrodes designed for hearing preservation (358 implants). The control group was 323 patients implanted uni- or bilaterally with preformed perimodiolar electrodes (468 implants).Determination of CI electrode migration was conducted according to a clinica…
A method for determining precise electrical hearing thresholds in cochlear implant users
A psychoacoustic procedure designed for the precise assessment of perceptional threshold (T-level) in cochlear implant (CI) users is presented. The impact of this procedure on speech perception was investigated.Individual T-level measurements were obtained with the proposed procedure and three different speech processor fitting conditions were applied: (1) fitting familiar to the subject, T-levels unchanged, (2) T-level set to thresholds determined with the new procedure, (3) T-level set to thresholds determined with the new procedure, but T-level is decreased by 10 clinical units (CU). The impact of the different fitting conditions was measured by means of categorical loudness scaling (CLS…
The German hearing in noise test
The aims of this study were to develop a German Hearing In Noise Test (HINT) using the same methodology as with previous HINT tests; to develop sentence lists for measuring speech reception thresholds (SRTs); and to determine test-retest reliability and norms for measures obtained under headphones.The following steps were followed: develop and record sentences, synthesise masking noise, determine the performance-intensity (PI) function, equalise sentence difficulty in the masking noise. Form sentence lists of equal difficulty. Measure SRTs for normal hearing individuals to determine practice/learning effects, test-retest reliability, and norms.Three groups of adults (median age = 25 years) …
Minimal Reporting Standards for Active Middle Ear Hearing Implants.
There is currently no standardized method for reporting audiological, surgical and subjective outcome measures in clinical trials with active middle ear implants (AMEIs). It is often difficult to compare studies due to data incompatibility and to perform meta-analyses across different centres is almost impossible. A committee of ENT and audiological experts from Germany, Austria and Switzerland decided to address this issue by developing new minimal standards for reporting the outcomes of AMEI clinical trials. The consensus presented here aims to provide a recommendation to enable better inter-study comparability.