Auditory brainstem implant: II. Postsurgical issues and performance.
The auditory brainstem implant (ABI) restores some hearing sensations to patients deafened by bilateral acoustic tumors. Electrodes are stable for more than 10 years. In most cases nonauditory side effects can be avoided by judicious selection of the stimulating waveform and electrode configuration. Most perceptual measurements demonstrate that the ABI produces psychophysical and speech performance similar to that of single-channel cochlear implants. ABI patients receive suprasegmental information in speech and significant enhancement of speech understanding when the sound from the ABI is combined with lipreading.
House Ear Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90057.
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Shannon
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J
Fayad
J
J
Moore
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Lo
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Otto
R A
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Nelson
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O'Leary
D001933:Brain Stem / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D016518:Neurofibromatosis 2 / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013067:Speech Perception; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed