OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of frequency overlap across ears on functional listening outcomes in postlingually deafened experienced bimodal users with aidable low-to-mid frequency acoustic hearing.
Audiologists fitting bimodal cochlear implant users should consider the degree of cross-ear frequency overlap as a programming variable, as it may affect functional listening outcomes — though practice changes should await peer review of full results.
Optimising frequency allocation in bimodal cochlear implant users is an under-researched area with direct implications for fitting protocols used by audiologists globally.
- 01Study focused on bimodal CI users — those with a cochlear implant on one side and a hearing aid on the other.
- 02Cross-ear frequency overlap (where both devices amplify the same pitch range) was the key independent variable.
- 03Participants had postlingual deafness (hearing loss after language development) with residual low-to-mid frequency hearing.
- 04Functional listening outcomes — real-world hearing performance — were the primary measures.
- 05Findings could inform clinical programming decisions for bimodal fitting.
Frequency overlap between a cochlear implant and contralateral hearing aid affects functional listening outcomes in bimodal users.
studyunclear- PMID
- 42237499
- DOI
- 10.1080/14670100.2026.2677301.
- Journal
- Cochlear Implants International
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Postlingually deafened bimodal cochlear implant users with aidable residual low-to-mid frequency hearing
- Intervention
- Variation in cross-ear frequency overlap in bimodal cochlear implant fitting
- Comparator
- Differing frequency overlap conditions within the same participant group
Primary outcomes
Functional listening outcomes in bimodal cochlear implant users