Comparisons of speech test results of adult CI patients with acoustic neuroma versus CI patients without acoustic neuroma

Introduction

This study investigates the chances of success of CI patients with acoustic neuroma (AN- patients) compared to CI patients with other causes of deafness (non-AN- patients).

Material and Method

By match-pairing, 8 unilaterally deafened AN- and 8 non-AN- patients are matched according to gender, duration of deafness, age of deafness and age of implantation and compared in the following groups:

Group 1: AN- patients with Group 2: Non- AN- patients (short deafened < 2 years) and

Group 3: AN- patients with Group 4: Non- AN- patients (long- deafened > 10 years).

The Freiburg number and monosyllable test, the HSM sentence set in quiet and in noise (10 dB S/N) in direct coupling from initial fitting to 1 year after CI are evaluated.

Results

The mean values of the short- deafened AN- and non- AN- patients are almost comparable after the initial fitting. For example, the mean value in the monosyllable test is 45.8% for AN- patients and 45% for non- AN- patients. Up to the one year follow-up date, the mean values for non- AN- patients continues to rise slowly, while they stagnates for AN- patients. In the case of the long- deafened AN- and non- AN- patients, the mean values is higher for non-AN- patients from the beginning. The mean value in the monosyllable test, for example, is 5% for AN- patients and 12.5% for non-AN- patients. Again, the mean values continues to increase up to the year- end date for non- AN- patients, while they decrease for AN- patients.

Conclusion

In the course of development, the chances of success are lower for the AN- patients compared to the non- AN- patients. Nevertheless, AN- patients (with auditory nerve preservation) can also benefit from CI fitting, whereby a short deafness duration is prognostically more favourable.

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
24. Mai 2022