Speech perception in noise with implant and hearing aid.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the perception of speech in quiet and in noise by adults using a cochlear implant on its own or a cochlear implant and hearing aid together.


METHODS
Repeated measures.


METHODS
Laboratory study using subjects' own speech processors.


METHODS
Two groups of cochlear implant users (Australian and American) with some residual hearing in the non-implanted ear (pure tone average thresholds at 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz of 75-112 dB HL).


METHODS
Conventional hearing aid and cochlear implant in opposite ears.


METHODS
Speech perception was evaluated using recorded lists of CUNY sentences and lists of CNC words in quiet and in background noise.


RESULTS
Speech scores were significantly higher with implant and hearing aid together compared to implant alone. The binaural advantage was greater in background noise than it was in quiet for CUNY sentences in the American listeners.


CONCLUSIONS
Severely-to-profoundly hearing impaired adults may benefit from combined fitting of implants and conventional hearing aids in opposite ears.
Armstrong
M
M
Cooperative Research Centre for Cochlear Implant, Speech, Australia.
Pegg
P
P
James
C
C
Blamey
P
P
D000328:Adult; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery*; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013067:Speech Perception