/Objectives : For patients with profound deafness resulting from auditory nerve pathology, as in Neurofibromatosis type 2, auditory brainstem implantation (ABI) can restore meaningful acoustic input. The literature reporting real-world results for ABI users is limited, especially regarding patients with bilateral implants....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
Reports of open-set speech perception (understanding speech without lip-reading) with bilateral ABI are clinically significant and suggest bilateral implantation may offer meaningful benefit in select patients with auditory nerve pathology — worth monitoring as case evidence accumulates.
Demonstrated open-set speech perception with bilateral ABI challenges the ceiling historically associated with this device and may expand candidacy criteria or surgical planning considerations for patients ineligible for cochlear implants.
- 01Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) are used when the hearing nerve is absent or non-functional.
- 02Study reports audiologic outcomes in ABI recipients with profound deafness from auditory nerve pathology.
- 03Some bilateral ABI recipients achieved open-set speech perception (understanding speech without visual cues).
- 04Bilateral implantation appears to confer additional benefit over unilateral ABI in this cohort.
- 05Published in Audiology Research (MDPI).
Bilateral auditory brainstem implantation can result in successful open-set speech perception in patients with profound deafness due to auditory nerve pathology.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42496261
- DOI
- 10.3390/audiolres16040095.
- Journal
- Audiology Research
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Patients with profound deafness due to auditory nerve pathology receiving auditory brainstem implants
- Intervention
- Auditory brainstem implantation (unilateral and bilateral)
Primary outcomes
Audiologic outcomes post-ABI; Open-set speech perception with bilateral implantation