title: Fitting range of the BAHA Intenso.
abstract: Audiometric characteristics of a recently introduced more powerful, behind-the-ear, BAHA sound processor, the BAHA Intenso, were evaluated in 23 patients with contra-indications for using conventional hearing aids. All patients had mixed hearing loss with boneconduction thresholds ranging between 30 and 50 dB HL. Boneconduction gain, defined as the difference in aided free-field detection thresholds and unaided boneconduction thresholds, was calculated at the octave frequencies between 500 Hz and 4 kHz. Median boneconduction gain of the Intenso ranges from 0 dB at 500 ;Hz to 12 ;dB at 2 kHz with substantial interindividual variability. The upper limit of the BAHA Intenso's fitting range was established by requiring aided speech reception thresholds with CVC-monosyllables of at most 60 dB SPL. The fitting range of the BAHA Intenso appeared to be limited to 42, 44, 58, and 48 dB HL for boneconduction thresholds at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 ;kHz, respectively. Loudness growth functions at 0.5 and 3 kHz as obtained with 7-point categorical scaling showed an adequate aided dynamic range.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Centre, St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. a.bosman@kno.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Arjan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bosman
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Snik
authors.forename: Emmanuel A M
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mylanus
authors.forename: W R J
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Cremers
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001844:Bone Conduction; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids / Q000523:psychology; D046089:Hearing Loss, Mixed Conductive-Sensorineural / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057240:Patient Preference; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D013060:Speech; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires