title: Speech reception thresholds obtained in a symmetrical four-loudspeaker arrangement from bilateral users of MED-EL cochlear implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the study was to investigate speech reception in noise in subjects who had undergone bilateral implantation with multichannel cochlear implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine adults with bilateral MED-EL implants were included in the study. The subjects were tested using both implants and the better implant only. Tests were performed in a symmetrical setup, which ideally eliminates any head shadow effect. Speech tests included sentences in quiet and at various signal-to-noise ratios. From the results, the gain in signal-to-noise ratios at the speech reception threshold was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All subjects showed a substantial gain in signal-to-noise ratios of approximately 4 dB on average. In addition, the gain in signal-to-noise ratios was essentially stable for as long as 4.4 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that bilateral cochlear implant users are able to binaurally process speech.
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic, University of Würzburg, Germany. franz_schoen@gmx.de
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schön
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Helms
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000669:Amplifiers, Electronic; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D013997:Time Factors