title: BILATERAL AND BIMODAL BENEFITS AS A FUNCTION OF AGE FOR ADULTS FITTED WITH A COCHLEAR IMPLANT.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) and bimodal (electric plus contralateral acoustic) stimulation can provide better speech intelligibility than a single CI. In both cases patients need to combine information from two ears into a single percept. In this paper we ask whether the physiological and psychological processes associated with aging alter the ability of bilateral and bimodal CI patients to combine information across two ears in the service of speech understanding.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 61 adult, bilateral CI patients and 94 adult, bimodal patients. The test battery was composed of monosyllabic words presented in quiet and the AzBio sentences presented in quiet, at +10 and at +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were tested in standard audiometric sound booths. Speech and noise were always presented from a single speaker directly in front of the listener.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age and bilateral or bimodal benefit were not significantly correlated for any test measure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Other factors being equal, both bilateral CIs and bimodal CIs can be recommended for elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorman
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spahr
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University.
authors.forename: Rene H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gifford
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhanga
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Loiselle
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine.
authors.forename: JoAnne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Whittingham
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schramm
keywords: bilateral; bimodal; cochlear implant; presbycusis