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Optimal management of single‐sided deafness
Author(s) -
Son Hwa J.,
Choo Daniel
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.23483
Subject(s) - computer science , audiology , medicine
BACKGROUND Current trends in auditory rehabilitation for singlesided deafness (SSD) reflect a renewed interest in the functional impact of unilateral hearing loss and also in the advances in technologies for SSD that make interventions more effective and more appealing to patients. Clinicians are now equipped with an array of therapeutic options ranging from Bluetooth contralateral routing of signal (CROS) devices to in-the-ear TransEar hearing aids (Ear Technology Corp., Johnson City, TN), as well as bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA). Even unilateral cochlear implantation represents a current investigational intervention that may offer yet another option to patients in the future. A prominent deficiency in this field is the absence of concise and evidence-based guidelines for patient and intervention selection. Factors to consider when recommending the best treatment include functional handicapping due to SSD, speech understanding in noise, localization, ease of use, the need for surgery and cost. This article seeks to review the pertinent literature on this topic and offer a best-practice framework.