title: Prevalence of contralateral hearing aid use in adults with cochlear implants.
abstract: Introduction The exclusive use of a cochlear implant (CI) in one ear allows patients to effectively hear speech in a quiet environment. However, in environments with competing noise, the processing of multiple sounds becomes complex. In an attempt to promote binaural hearing in a noninvasive manner, the use of a hearing aid in the nonimplanted ear is suggested for patients with a unilateral CI. Aims To identify the prevalence of hearing aid use in the contralateral ear in adults who already have a CI; to determine the reasons why some patients do not use contralateral hearing aids (CHAs); and to analyze the effects of residual hearing in CHA users. Materials and Methods This is a clinical study in 82 adult patients with CI implants who responded to a questionnaire designed to determine current use of CHA. Results In our patient sample, 70 CHA nonusers were identified. The prevalence of CHA users was determined to be 12% with a 95% confidence interval of 11 to 13%. About 58.2% of the CHA nonusers reported a lack of noticeable benefit even after wearing hearing aids, and 23.6% reported not having received the option to use a CHA. CHA users had a pure tone average of 107-dB hearing level, whereas CHA nonusers had a pure tone average of 117-dB hearing level. Conclusion The prevalence of the use of a CHA is low in our study. We attribute the low use of a CHA to either a lack of residual hearing or to a lack of benefit from the amplification.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cochlear Implants, Department of Audiology, Clinic Hospital of the Medicine High School of the University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP), São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cintia Tizue
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Cochlear Implants, Department of Audiology, Clinic Hospital of the Medicine High School of the University of São Paulo (HCFMUSP), São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Valéria Schmidt
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Goffi-Gomez
keywords: cochlear implantation; deafness; hearing aids; speech perception