Cochlear dead regions constrain the benefit of combining acoustic stimulation with electric stimulation.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

The aims of this study were to (1) detect the presence and edge frequency (fe) of a cochlear dead region in the ear with residual acoustic hearing for bimodal cochlear implant users, and (2) determine whether amplification based on the presence or absence of a dead region would improve speech understanding and sound quality.

Design

Twenty-two listeners with a cochlear implant in one ear and residual acoustic hearing in the nonimplanted ear were tested. Eleven listeners had a cochlear dead region in the acoustic-hearing ear and 11 did not. Dead regions were assessed with the threshold-equalizing noise (TEN) and the sweeping noise, psychophysical tuning curve tests. Speech understanding was assessed with monosyllabic words and the AzBio sentences at +10 dB signal-to-

SUBMITTER: Zhang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4066196 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul-Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature