Clinical trial of a multiple-channel cochlear prosthesis. An initial study in four patients with profound total hearing loss.
The clinical trial of a multiple-channel cochlear prosthesis was undertaken in four patients with postlingual deafness and profound total hearing loss. The results of open-set speech tests confirmed that, using electrical stimulation alone, one patient could have a meaningful conversation without resorting to lipreading (for example, this patient uses the prosthesis to converse with her husband on the telephone). The results of closed-set speech tests also suggested that a multiple-channel stimulator is more effective than a single-channel one in conveying speech information. The cochlear prosthesis was especially effective in all four patients when it was used in conjunction with lipreading, and speech-tracking tests showed that the patients could combine the information obtained from both electrical stimulation and lipreading.
D000328:Adult; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged