The Impact of Cochlear Implantation on Speech Understanding, Subjective Hearing Performance, and Tinnitus Perception in Patients with Unilateral Severe to Profound Hearing Loss
Material type:
This study aimed to determine the impact of cochlear
implantation on speech understanding in noise, subjective
perception of hearing, and tinnitus perception of adult patients
with unilateral severe to profound hearing loss and to investigate
whether duration of deafness and age at implantation would
influence the outcomes. In addition, this article describes the
auditory training protocol used for unilaterally deaf patients.
Design: This is a prospective study of subjects undergoing cochlear
implantation for unilateral deafnesswith orwithout associated tinnitus.
Methods: Speech perception in noise was tested using the
Bamford-Kowal-Bench speech-in-noise test presented at 65 dB
SPL. The Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale and the
Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit were used to evaluate
the subjective perception of hearing with a cochlear implant and
quality of life. Tinnitus disturbance wasmeasured using the Tinnitus
Reaction Questionnaire. Data were collected before cochlear
implantation and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after implantation.