Cochlear implant users do not experience spatial hearing with the same accuracy or acuity as typical hearing listeners. Two standard measures of spatial hearing are sound localization error and speech reception thresholds (SRTs) in spatially separated noise. While sound localization requires a complicated setup, SRTs may be measured with fewer loudspeakers and less testing time....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
When counseling cochlear implant candidates, audiologists can use this comparative data to set realistic expectations about sound localization and speech-in-noise outcomes across different implant configurations.
Direct head-to-head comparisons across CI configurations are relatively rare and can inform candidacy decisions and patient counseling for single-sided deafness and bimodal fitting.
- 01Four CI groups compared: unilateral, bilateral, single-sided deaf, and bimodal users.
- 02Sound localization error and speech-in-noise performance were primary outcome measures.
- 03All CI groups were benchmarked against typical-hearing listeners.
- 04Published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA).
- 05Findings relevant to candidacy counseling and rehabilitation goal-setting.
CI configuration significantly affects sound localization error and speech-in-noise performance.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42715005
- DOI
- 10.1121/10.0046392.
- Journal
- Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Adult cochlear implant users (unilateral, bilateral, single-sided deaf, and bimodal) and typical-hearing listeners
- Intervention
- Assessment across unilateral, bilateral, single-sided deaf, and bimodal CI configurations
- Comparator
- Typical-hearing listeners
Primary outcomes
Sound localization error; Speech-in-noise performance