Benefits of active middle ear implants over hearing aids in patients with sloping high tone hearing loss: comparison with hearing aids.

Benefits of active middle ear implants over hearing aids in patients with sloping high tone hearing loss: comparison with hearing aids. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2017 Jun;37(3):218-223 Authors: Lee JM, Jeon JH, Moon IS, Choi JY Abstract In this retrospective chart review we compared the subjective and objective benefits of active middle ear implants (AMEIs) with conventional hearing aids (HAs) in patients with sloping high tone hearing loss. Thirty-four patients with sensorineural hearing loss were treated with AMEIs. Of these, six had sloping high tone hearing loss and had worn an HA for more than 6 months. Objective assessments, a pure-tone audiogram, as well as a word recognition test, and the Korean version of the Hearing in Noise Test (K-HINT), and a subjective assessment, the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, were performed. Tests were conducted under three circumstances: 1) the unaided state before surgery; 2) the HA-aided state before surgery; and 3) the AMEI-aided state 3 months after surgery. The average high-frequency hearing gain (≥ 2 kHz) was significantly better with AMEIs than with HAs. Although the result had no statistical significance, AMEIs showed a superior word recognition score (WRS) compared to HAs. However, the most comfortable hearing level at which the WRS was tested was significantly decreased with an AMEI compared to an HA. In the K-HINT, patients with an AMEI showed gre...
Source: Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica - Category: ENT & OMF Tags: Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital Source Type: research