People with single sided deafness who receive a cochlear implant experience long-term benefits in speech understanding, sound localisation and quality of life, a study finds.
A study has investigated the long-term outcomes of cochlear implantation in individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD) in terms of speech perception, subjective hearing performance and sound localisation.
The study found statistically significant improvements in speech perception in noise and sound localisation results postoperatively with the use of a cochlear implant in comparison to preoperative measurements. Subjective hearing abilities also significantly improved after long-term use of a cochlear implant.
About the study
The long-term hearing outcomes, between 4 and 10 years of cochlear implant use, were evaluated using speech in noise tests, a subjective hearing performance questionnaire and sound localisation tests.
The participants in the study were people from Antwerp in Belgium and Perth in Australia with single-sided deafness who had received a cochlear implant.
The study, “Evaluating the Long-Term Hearing Outcomes of Cochlear Implant Users With Single-Sided Deafness”, was published in the journal Otology & Neurotology.
Sources: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and Otology & Neurotology
