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[Functional hearing loss in speech audiometry (author's transl)].

In a group of 238 patients assessed for medico-legal reasons, 26 subjects were found to have functional hearing problems. In detecting the presence of functional hearing loss, the reliability of speech audiometric patterns was shown. Each patient demonstrated at least one suspicious response. The evaluation revealed an irregular configuration of curves ("step-like", 56%) and a better understanding for monosyllabic testwords than for digits (28.8%) as the most important criteria. In the control group of 40 hard-of-hearing patients without functional hearing losses, testing-irregularities were found in only 2.5-3.7% of the patients. Furthermore, discrepancies between speech reception thresholds and pure tone averages (84.6%) as well as poor test-retest reliability in tone audiometry contributed to an identification of functional hearing loss. Békésy-audiometry Type V was obtained in 73% of those patients studied.

Adult↗

The role of silent intervals for sentence intelligibility in fluctuating noise in hearing-impaired listeners.

Fluctuating interfering noises are highly suitable for speech audiometry because of the large inter-individual variability in intelligibility results. This study explores the maximum duration of silent intervals in the masker as an important factor underlying sentence intelligibility in fluctuating noise. Three versions of speech-simulating fluctuating interfering noises based on the icra noises (Dreschler et al, 2001) were explored: The original noise which simulates one interfering speaker and contains pause durations up to two seconds, as well as two modified versions with pause durations limited to 250 ms and 62.5 ms, respectively. In addition, a stationary speech-shaped noise was used. Test-retest reliability as well as speech reception threshold (SRT) and speech intelligibility function slope were determined with hearing-impaired subjects. All fluctuating noises differentiated very well between subjects. Partial rank correlation analysis showed that SRTs in fluctuating noise with longest maximum pause durations mostly depended on SRTs in quiet. SRTs in fluctuating noises with smaller maximum pause durations correlated both with SRTs in quiet and in stationary noise.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Effects of high-frequency cue reduction on the comprehension of distorted speech.

Forty-five subjects with sharply sloping sensorineural high-frequency hearing losses were examined for comprehension with a tape containing sentences that had been time-compressed (250 words/min), interrupted, (50 msec on-50 msec off), and masked with speech-spectrum noise (+2 dB S/N) in that order. All subjects yielded normal speech reception thresholds, and generally normal scores on the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6. Distorted-speech testing was completed at 40 dB SL. Subjects with losses at 2 kHz and above were able to comprehend only 50, 65, and 68% of compressed, interrupted, and noise-masked sentences, respectively. In contrast, subjects with losses at 3 kHz and above performed poorer than normal controls by 11.3, 12.5, and 8% points respectively, while subjects within normal hearing sensitivity at 3 kHz performed as well as controls (maximum drop of 4.6 points with noise-masking). The multiplicative hypothesis was upheld in that the performance of subjects with severe high-frequency deficiencies was much poorer than one would predict on the basis of what is known about performance on these tests with either filtering alone or other distortions alone. These subjects, most especially those with severe frequency deficiencies, outperformed by up to 29 percentage points the mean scores of groups of normals given the same test items and distortion conditions, but listening through filtering that simulated the hearing loss of subjects in this study. It was suggested that hypacusics with high-frequency hearing losses can learn to use residual cues efficiently and that it is not altogether permissible to model sensorineural high-frequency losses with normal-hearing subjects using frequency filtering.

Adult↗

Phase 1 clinical trial results of the Envoy System: a totally implantable middle ear device for sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVES: This report will present the results of the USA Phase 1 clinical trials for the Envoy System (St. Croix Medical): A totally implantable middle ear hearing system for sensorineural loss. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, single-subject, repeated-measures, multicenter study was performed to evaluate safety and functionality of the Envoy System. Data collected included Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit, bone conduction threshold, speech reception threshold, functional gain, word recognition, and adverse events. Testing was performed unaided, with the patient's best-fit hearing aid, and post device activation at 2 (trial endpoint) and 4 months. RESULTS: Five of 7 patients at the 2-month postactivation period had working systems. All 5 patients perceived benefit increases with the Envoy System over their best-fit hearing aid, including communication in high background noise levels. Word recognition was improved over hearing aids. Functional gain and speech reception thresholds were similar for the Envoy device and hearing aids. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility trial has shown the Envoy device, a totally implantable middle ear device, can safely sense and drive the ossicular chain. EBM RATING: B-2.

Adult↗

Quantifying the contribution of vision to speech perception in noise.

The intelligibility of sentences presented in noise improves when the listener can view the talker's face. Our aims were to quantify this benefit, and to relate it to individual differences among subjects in lipreading ability and among sentences in lipreading difficulty. Auditory and audiovisual speech-reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured in 20 listeners with normal hearing. Sixty sentences, selected to range in the difficulty with which they could be lipread (with vision alone) from easy to hard, were presented for identification in white noise. Using the ascending method of limits, the SRT was defined as the lowest signal-to-noise ratio at which all three 'key words' in each sentence could be identified correctly. Measured as the difference in dB between auditory-alone and audiovisual SRTs, 'audiovisual benefit' averaged 11 dB, ranging from 6 to 15 dB among subjects, and from 3 to 22 dB among sentences. As predicted, audiovisual benefit is a measure of lipreading ability. It was highly correlated with visual-alone performance (n = 20, r = 0.86, P less than 0.01). Likewise, those sentences which were easiest to lipread gave a higher measure of benefit from vision in audiovisual conditions than did sentences that were hard to lipread (n = 60, r = 0.92, P less than 0.01). The results establish the basis of an efficient test of speech-reception disability in which measures are freed from the floor and ceiling effects encountered when percentage correct is used as the dependent variable.

Adult↗

Congenital middle ear cholesteatomas in children: our experience in 34 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinical data, extensions, residual disease rate, and functional results in cases of congenital cholesteatoma in pediatric patients compared with cases of acquired forms. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: In a retrospective study conducted at a single tertiary care center over a decade, 34 congenital cholesteatomas (mean patient age, 6.6 years) isolated from a series of 215 cholesteatomas in children were treated surgically and followed up for an average of 83 months. Surgical treatment consisted of the closed technique (CT), open technique tympanoplasty in CT [TOT], radical mastoidectomy (RM), or Rambo's technique. The main outcome measures were surgical findings, residual lesion rate, and hearing assessment. RESULTS: The first surgical procedure was CT in 85.3%, TOT in 8.8%, RM in 2.9%, and Rambo's technique in 2.9% of patients. Two, 3, and 4 operations were necessary in 76.5%, 11.4%, and 11.4% of children, respectively. Residual lesions were observed in 34.6% of those multi-operated patients (7 CT and 2 TOT), 24.1% in those treated with CT, and 29.2% in those treated with CT with a planned second look. Mean postoperative pure tone average and air-bone gap were 26 and 21 dB, respectively. A speech reception threshold of less than 30 dB HL was achieved in 66% of patients. A total of 26 ossiculoplasties had to be performed (8 partial and 18 total); the mean postoperative air-bone gap was lower after the former (15 dB) than after the latter (22 dB). A high-frequency pure-tone hearing loss of more than 10 dB was uncommon (5.8%). Unsurprisingly, the residual lesion rate seems to be higher for congenital than for acquired cholesteatomas, but hearing results are significantly better. CONCLUSION: In most cases, staged CT appears to be the best technique to treat these lesions, which often develop in a well-pneumatized mastoid.

Acoustic Impedance Tests↗

Aging effects on auditory and vestibular responses: a longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: To identify age-related changes in the auditory and vestibular systems in normal older subjects followed serially over time. METHODS: Pure tone hearing levels, speech reception threshold, speech discrimination scores, and vestibulo-ocular responses were measured in 57 normal older subjects (mean age, 82) on 5 yearly examinations. RESULTS: There was a significant (P < .001) increase in pure tone threshold averages (about 1 dB per year) and speech reception threshold averages (about 2 dB per year), and a significant (P < .001) decrease in discrimination scores (about 2% per year) over the 5 years of follow-up. There was a significant (P < .05) amplitude-dependent decrease in gain and increase in phase lead of the vestibulo-ocular reflex and a significant (P < .01) decrease in gain of visual-vestibular responses at low frequency sinusoidal stimulation over the 5 examinations. Years 1 to 5 differences in individual subjects were significantly (P < .01) correlated across auditory and vestibular tests, but not between auditory and vestibular tests (P > .01). CONCLUSION: This is the first longitudinal study to show age-related decreases in auditory and vestibular responses in normal older subjects. Because the age-related changes in the auditory system were not correlated with age-related changes in the vestibular system, the 2 systems may age at different rates in the same individual. These changes likely result from degeneration in both peripheral and central structures, although age-related changes in the central nervous system probably are more important from a functional point of view.

Aged↗

[The evaluation of cartilage and perichondrium grafts for the reconstruction of the tympanic membrane].

Since the publication of Miodoński, Zollner and Wullstein different methods and grafting materials have been promoted in tympanoplastic surgery. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the anatomical and functional results of tympanoplastic surgery with the use of cartilage and perichondrium grafts. The studies included a selected group of 112 patients who were operated on because of perforation of tympanic membrane. The analysed group consisted of 112 patients when perichondrium and cartilage were used to reconstruct the tympanic membrane. In all cases before and after operation there was made tonal audiometry with indication for air and bone conduction within range from 500 to 4000 Hz, verbal audiometry after operation with indication of speech detection and speech reception threshold using mono-syllable NLA-93 test, tympanometry after operation and evaluation of anatomical results after surgery.

Adolescent↗

[Results of myringoplasty and type I tympanoplasty with the use of fascia, cartilage and perichondrium grafts].

Since the publication of Miodoński, Zollner and Wullstein different methods and grafting materials have been promoted in tympanoplasty. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the anatomical and functional results of tympanoplasty in comparison with the material used. The studies included a selected group of 142 patients who were operated on because of perforation of tympanic membrane. The analysed group consisted of 112 patients when perichondrium and cartilage were used to reconstruct the tympanic membrane. The comparison group consisted of 30 patients when fascia of the musculus temporalis was used to close a defect of the eardrum. In all cases before and after operation there was made tonal audiometry with indication for air and bone conduction within range from 500 to 4000 Hz, verbal audiometry after operation with indication of speech detection and speech reception threshold using mono-syllable NLA-93 test, tympanometry after operation and evaluation of anatomical results after surgery. The comparison of operation results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups.

Adolescent↗

Effect of marihuana on hearing.

Marihuana has been said to improve hearing. Two earlier studies have supported this contention. In this investigation, marihuana or placebo cigarettes were randomly smoked by 30 subjects, 15 in each group. Before and after smoking, batteries of standard audiological tests were carried out; pure tone threshold (air and bone conduction), speech reception threshold, speech discrimination at most comfortable level, and relative acoustic impedance measurements including middle ear pressure, stapedial reflexes, compliance, tympanic mobility, and Eustachian tube function. A comparison of pre and post smoking auditory test scores did not demonstrate any significant change in auditory function in the marihuana or placebo group. However, as all subjects had normal hearing and maximum speech discrimination scores pre-smoking, it can only be concluded that smoking marihuana did not worsen the hearing--the experiments were not designed to see whether it would improve hearing.

Adolescent↗

Successful cochlear implantation in a patient with superficial siderosis.

OBJECTIVE: To define the presentation and outcome of cochlear implantation in a patient with profound sensorineural hearing loss due to superficial siderosis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. RESULTS: Postimplantation speech reception threshold was 34 dB, and hearing in noise testing sentences were 71% demonstrating a successful outcome. These results have been maintained for 5 years after implantation. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation is a potentially successful rehabilitation option for certain patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss due to superficial siderosis.

Adult↗

Correlations between audiogram and objective hearing tests in sensorineural hearing loss.

Owing to its subjective nature, behavioral pure-tone audiometry often is an unreliable testing method in uncooperative subjects, and assessing the true hearing threshold becomes difficult. In such cases, objective tests are used for hearing-threshold determination (i.e., auditory brainstem evoked potentials [ABEP] and frequency-specific auditory evoked potentials: slow negative response at 10 msec [SN-10]). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between pure-tone audiogram shape and the predictive accuracy of SN-10 and ABEP in normal controls and in patients suffering from sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). One-hundred-and-fifty subjects aged 15 to 70, some with normal hearing and the remainder with SNHL, were tested prospectively in a double-blind design. The battery of tests included pure-tone audiometry (air and bone conduction), speech reception threshold, ABEP, and SN-10. Patients with SNHL were divided into four categories according to audiogram shape (i.e., flat, ascending, descending, and all other shapes). The results showed that ABEP predicts behavioral thresholds at 3 kHz and 4 kHz in cases of high-frequency hearing loss. Also demonstrated was that ABEP threshold estimation at 3 kHz was not affected significantly by audiogram contour. A good correlation was observed between SN-10 and psychoacoustic thresholds at 1 kHz, the only exception being the group of subjects with ascending audiogram, in which SN-10 overestimated the hearing threshold.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

Unidirectional inner ear valve implant for endolymphatic sac surgery in Meniere's disease.

In five patients with long-standing Meniere's disease, a unidirectional inner ear valve was implanted into the endolymphatic sac (ELS) to facilitate removal of excess endolymph in the hydropic state. These patients were all candidates for ablative surgery. They all had intractable vertigo and severe hearing losses. Four out of five patients had positive preoperative glycerol tests. In the patients with positive glycerol tests, the group averages before surgery were as follows: pure-tone average (PTA), 63 dB; speech reception threshold (SRT), 79 dB; and discrimination score, 27%. All of the patients, except a patient with a negative glycerol test, benefited from the surgery, including exceptional hearing improvements, averages of 21 dB in PTA, 30.5 dB in SRT, and 48% in discrimination, which remained so for at least a one-year minimum follow-up. All patients with preoperative positive glycerol tests had a class A result according to the criteria set forth by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. The cumulative follow-up exceeded the minimal requirements by a factor of 39 times. The only failure was in a patient with a negative glycerol test, which was predictable. Results of tomography confirmed the correct position of the valve without evidence of migration or extrusion even in the failure. This new valve appears to be a safe and more effective implant than Silastic sheeting alone or any other ELS implant in patients with a positive glycerol test.

Adult↗

Noise-induced hearing loss in young adults: the role of personal listening devices and other sources of leisure noise.

CONCEPT: No consensus exists regarding the magnitude of the risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) associated with leisure noise, in particular, personal listening devices in young adults. OBJECTIVE: Examine the magnitude of hearing loss associated with personal listening devices and other sources of leisure noise in causing NIHL in young adults. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective auditory testing of college student volunteers with retrospective history exposure to home stereos, personal listening devices, firearms, and other sources of recreational noise. METHODS: Subjects underwent audiologic examination consisting of estimation of pure-tone thresholds, speech reception thresholds, and word recognition at 45 dB HL. RESULTS: Fifty subjects aged 18 to 30 years were tested. All hearing thresholds of all subjects (save one-a unilateral 30 dB HL threshold at 6 kHz) were normal, (i.e., 25 dB HL or better). A 10 dB threshold elevation (notch) in either ear at 3 to 6 kHz as compared with neighboring frequencies was noted in 11 (22%) subjects and an unequivocal notch (15 dB or greater) in either ear was noted in 14 (28%) of subjects. The presence or absence of any notch (small or large) did not correlate with any single or cumulative source of noise exposure. No difference in pure-tone threshold, speech reception threshold, or speech discrimination was found among subjects when segregated by noise exposure level. CONCLUSION: The majority of young users of personal listening devices are at low risk for substantive NIHL. Interpretation of the significance of these findings in relation to noise exposure must be made with caution. NIHL is an additive process and even subtle deficits may contribute to unequivocal hearing loss with continued exposure. The low prevalence of measurable deficits in this study group may not exclude more substantive deficits in other populations with greater exposures. Continued education of young people about the risk to hearing from recreational noise exposure is warranted.

Adolescent↗

Benefits of bilateral cochlear implants and/or hearing aids in children.

This study evaluated functional benefits from bilateral stimulation in 20 children ages 4-14, 10 use two CIs and 10 use one CI and one HA. Localization acuity was measured with the minimum audible angle (MAA). Speech intelligibility was measured in quiet, and in the presence of 2-talker competing speech using the CRISP forced-choice test. Results show that both groups perform similarly when speech reception thresholds are evaluated. However, there appears to be benefit (improved MAA and speech thresholds) from wearing two devices compared with a single device that is significantly greater in the group with two CI than in the bimodal group. Individual variability also suggests that some children perform similarly to normal-hearing children, while others clearly do not. Future advances in binaural fitting strategies and improved speech processing schemes that maximize binaural sensitivity will no doubt contribute to increasing the binaurally-driven advantages in persons with bilateral CIs.

Adolescent↗

An investigation of the Auditec of St. Louis recordings of the Central Institute for the Deaf spondees.

The Auditec of St. Louis recordings of the Central Institute for the Deaf spondees were investigated with normal hearing subjects and found to have an unnecessarily large range of audibility. Consequently, an 18-item test with greater homogeneity of audibility was proposed. Articulation function slopes of about 10% per decibel were obtained with both the 18- and 36-item tests. The articulation function of the 18-item test did not reflect its improved homogeneity. The mean speech reception threshold was 5 dB better than ANSI-1969 specifications, and speech detection threshold was found to be 9 dB better than speech reception threshold. A derived speech reception threshold can be obtained by adding 5 dB to the lowest threshold at which any spondee is identified.

Academies and Institutes↗

Audiological correlates of speech understanding deficits in elderly listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. I. Age and lateral asymmetry effects.

OBJECTIVE: The study was conducted to answer two questions: 1) Which auditory measures detect impairments attributable to age rather than hearing loss? 2) Among the elderly, is there a lateral asymmetry of performance? DESIGN: Audiological status and auditory performance of a group of elderly (60 to 81 yr old) and normal-hearing young (18 to 30 yr old) individuals were determined through a test battery. When present, the hearing loss of elderly subjects was symmetrical in the two ears and, at most, moderate. The battery included tests of speech intelligibility on the word and sentence levels, with and without the presence of interfering speech. In addition to pure-tone and speech reception thresholds, perception of spectrally or temporally distorted speech and auditory resolution of frequency, time, and space were tested. Two tests received special consideration: the Speech Perception In Noise Test and the Modified Rhyme Reverberation Test. RESULTS: Results indicated that 1) hearing loss was a major factor differentiating auditory performance of elderly and young individuals, and 2) genuine age-related deficits were found in measures assessing auditory resolution and the ability to utilize spatial, temporal, and/or linguistic context information to perceptually separate a speech target from surrounding speech noise. Furthermore, the elderly group exhibited a right-ear advantage, caused by left-ear deficits, in tests measuring central auditory processing and a slight left-ear advantage in tests measuring peripheral auditory resolution. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that, after controlling for the effect of hearing loss, there are a number of test measures in which performance of elderly and young listeners differs. Regarding lateral asymmetry, a disproportionate decline in auditory processing in the left ear of elderly individuals has been demonstrated. The major clinical conclusion is that, when testing an elderly group's performance regarding any given auditory function, the influence of pure-tone threshold elevations, no matter how mild, cannot be disregarded.

Age Factors↗

Audiological correlates of speech understanding deficits in elderly listeners with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. III. Factor representation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the major factors that underlie auditory/audiological performance measures in an elderly population, with particular emphasis on finding those factors responsible for speech understanding under specific conditions of interference. DESIGN: Audiological status and auditory performance of a group of elderly (60- to 81-yr-old) and normal-hearing young (18- to 30-yr-old) individuals was determined through a test battery. When present, the hearing loss of elderly subjects was symmetrical in the two ears and, at most, moderate. The battery included tests of speech intelligibility on the word and sentence levels, with and without the presence of interfering speech. In addition to pure-tone and speech reception thresholds, perception of spectrally or temporally distorted speech as well as auditory resolution of frequency, time, and space were tested. Two tests received special consideration: the Speech Perception In Noise Test and the Modified Rhyme Reverberation Test. Taking the overall results as well as various subsets of the results, principal component analyses were conducted to identify major factors underlying auditory performance. RESULTS: The factors extracted by the principal component analyses present a portrayal of the auditory performance profile in which effects of interference, high-frequency hearing, and basic auditory function play a major role. Interference factors include general susceptibility to noise as well as segregation of concurrent speech sounds on the basis of temporal dissimilarities and spatial separation. Comparison of factors extracted from various subsets of tests indicate that factors underlying the decline of the "cocktail party effect" in the elderly are addressed mostly by tests specifically designed to assess speech understanding in spatially distributed babble or in a reverberant environment. CONCLUSIONS: Factor analysis of test measures obtained from a group of elderly individuals with normal hearing or mild-to-moderate hearing loss led to two main findings. First, it portrayed hearing loss as a component of different factors rather than as a factor on its own. Second, the independence of measures of speech understanding in babble or reverberation from other measures suggests that such tests should become an integral part of audiological test batteries designed to assess auditory functions in aging.

Adolescent↗