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Prospective case‐controlled sound localisation study after cochlear implantation in adults with single‐sided deafness and ipsilateral tinnitus
Author(s) -
Mertens G.,
Desmet J.,
De Bodt M.,
Van de Heyning P.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
clinical otolaryngology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.914
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1749-4486
pISSN - 1749-4478
DOI - 10.1111/coa.12555
Subject(s) - medicine , tinnitus , audiology , cochlear implantation , sound (geography) , hearing loss , prospective cohort study , cochlea , acoustics , surgery , physics
Objectives To analyse the sound localisation skills of subjects with profound single‐sided deafness ( SSD ) and accompanied ipsilateral tinnitus who are using a cochlear implant ( CI ) for between 4 and 11 years. Design Sound localisation skills were tested using nine loudspeakers in a frontal semicircle ranging from −90° to +90°. Subjects were tested in the CI ON and the CI OFF conditions via 3 localisation stimuli: broadband noise ( BB ), low‐pass noise ( LP ) and high‐pass noise ( HP ). Participants The test group consisted of 10 adult subjects with profound sensorineural SSD , ipsilateral tinnitus and a CI . Normative data of a control group of 30 normal hearing subjects were used for comparison. Main outcome measures Sound location accuracy was analysed via the root‐mean‐square error ( RMSE ), the mean absolute error ( MAE ), the localisation bias (‘ b’ ) and the bias‐adjusted deviation (‘ d b ’ ). Subjective dynamic aspects of hearing were assessed via a reduced version of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale ( SSQ 5 ). Results For all 3 stimuli, the RMSE improved significantly in SSD subjects in the CI ON condition compared to the CI OFF condition. The localisation accuracy of subjects with SSD improved significantly for BB and HP stimuli. A significant bias‐adjusted deviation ‘d b ’ was found for the BB and HP stimuli. Subjects’ mean SSQ 5 scores were significantly higher in the CI ON condition at test date than in the CI OFF condition preoperatively. Conclusions Subjects can better locate sound in the CI ON condition than in the CI OFF condition.