[Speech perception with electric-acoustic stimulation : Comparison with bilateral cochlear implant users in different noise conditions].

BACKGROUND: Cochlear implantation with the aim of hearing preservation for combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is the therapy of choice for patients with residual low-frequency hearing. Preserved residual acoustic hearing has a positive effect on speech intelligibility in difficult noise conditions.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess speech reception thresholds in various complex noise conditions for patients with EAS in comparison with patients using bilateral cochlear implants (CI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Speech perception in noise was measured for bilateral CI and EAS patient groups. A total of 22 listeners with normal hearing served as a control group. Speech reception thresholds (SRT) were measured using a closed-set sentence matrix test. Speech was presented with a single source in frontal position; noise was presented in frontal position or in a multisource noise field (MSNF) consisting of a four-loudspeaker array with independent noise sources. Modulated speech-simulating noise and pseudocontinuous noise served respectively as interference signal with different temporal characteristics.

RESULTS: The average SRTs in the EAS group were significantly better in all test conditions than those of the group with bilateral CI. Both user groups showed significant improvement in the MSNF condition compared with the frontal noise condition as a result of bilateral interaction. The normal-hearing control group was able to use short temporal gaps in modulated noise to improve speech perception in noise (gap listening). This effect was absent in both implanted user groups.

CONCLUSION: Patients with combined EAS in one ear and a hearing aid in the contralateral ear show significantly improved speech perception in complex noise conditions compared with bilateral CI recipients.