Speech perception in children with auditory neuropathy/dyssynchrony managed with either hearing AIDS or cochlear implants.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate speech perception skills in children with auditory neuropathy (AN)/auditory dyssynchrony (AD)-type hearing loss managed with either hearing aids or cochlear implants.


METHODS
Prospective data collection in 3 subject groups: AN/AD children fitted with bilateral amplification, AN/AD children fitted with cochlear implant (in 1 or both ears), and a matched control group of implanted children with sensorineural hearing loss.


METHODS
Open-set monosyllabic words (consonant-nucleus-consonant).


RESULTS
Of the 10 implanted AN/AD children, 9 demonstrated significant speech discrimination (consonant-nucleus-consonant phoneme score > or =55%). Similar results were obtained for the aided AN/AD group. Findings for both AN/AD subject groups were poorer than those of the implanted sensorineural cohort.


CONCLUSIONS
Cochlear implantation can offer useful hearing in subjects with AN/AD-type hearing loss. However, expectations for this group may need to be lower than for patients with peripheral (cochlear) loss.
Rance
Gary
G
Department of Otolaryngology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. grance@unimelb.edu.au
Barker
Elizabeth Janet
EJ
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003389:Cranial Nerve Diseases / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013062:Speech Articulation Tests; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D000160:Vestibulocochlear Nerve Diseases / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*