Correlation between maximum phonetically balanced word recognition score and pure-tone auditory threshold in elder presbycusis patients over 80 years old

Background: The Maryland consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant (CNC) Test is routinely used in Veterans Administration medical centers, yet there is a paucity of published normative data for this test. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide information on the means and distribution of word-recognition scores on the Maryland CNC Test as a function of degree of hearing loss for a veteran population. Research Design: A retrospective, descriptive design was conducted. Study Sample: The sample consisted of records from veterans who had Compensation and Pension (C&P) examinations at a Veterans Administration medical center (N = 1,760 ears). Data Collection and Analysis: Audiometric records of veterans who had C&P examinations during a 10 yr period were reviewed, and the pure-tone averages (PTA4) at four frequencies (1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) were documented. The maximum word-recognition score (PBmax) was determined from the performance-intensity functions obtained using the Maryland CNC Test. Correlations were made between PBmax and PTA4. Results: A wide range of word-recognition scores were obtained at all levels of PTA4 for this population. In addition, a strong negative correlation between the PBmax and the PTA4 was observed, indicating that as PTA4 increased, PBmax decreased. Word-recognition scores decreased significantly as hearing loss increased beyond a mild hearing loss. Although threshold was influenced by age, no statistically significant relationship was found between word-recognition score and the age of the participants. Conclusions: Results from this study provide normative data in table and figure format to assist audiologists in interpreting patient results on the Maryland CNC test for a veteran population. These results provide a quantitative method for audiologists to use to interpret word-recognition scores based on pure-tone hearing loss.

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Totally implantable active middle-ear implants: a large, single-surgeon cohort

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215121000335 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

E McCarty Walsh ◽

D R Morrison ◽

W J McFeely

Keyword(s):

Hearing Loss ◽

Word Recognition ◽

Middle Ear ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Case Series ◽

Recognition Score ◽

Hearing Level ◽

Pure Tone Average ◽

Surgeon Experience ◽

Middle Ear Implants

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate hearing outcomes and device safety in a large, single-surgeon experience with the totally implantable active middle-ear implants. Methods This was a retrospective case series review of 116 patients with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss undergoing implantation of active middle-ear implants. Results Mean baseline unaided pure tone average improved from 57.6 dB before surgery to 34.1 dB post-operatively, signifying a mean gain in pure tone average of 23.5 dB (p = 0.0002). Phonetically balanced maximum word recognition score improved slightly from 70.5 per cent to 75.8 per cent (p = 0.416), and word recognition score at a hearing level of 50 dB values increased substantially from 14.4 per cent to 70.4 per cent (p < 0.0001). Both revision and explant rates were low and dropped with increasing surgeon experience over time. Conclusion This study showed excellent post-operative hearing results with active middle-ear implants with regard to pure tone average and word recognition score at a hearing level of 50 db. Complication rates in this case series were significantly lower with increasing experience of the surgeon. Active middle-ear implants should be considered in appropriate patients with moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss who have struggled with conventional amplification and are good surgical candidates.

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Ossicular chain reconstruction: endoscopic or microscopic?

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215120002728 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

E A Guneri ◽

A Cakir Cetin

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Middle Ear ◽

Risk Index ◽

Ossicular Chain ◽

Recognition Score ◽

Reconstruction Surgery ◽

Ossicular Chain Reconstruction ◽

Operation Duration ◽

Air Conduction

Abstract Objective To compare the results of endoscopic and microscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery. Methods Patients undergoing ossicular chain reconstruction surgery via an endoscopic (n = 31) or microscopic (n = 34) technique were analysed for age, gender, Middle Ear Risk Index, ossicular chain defect, incision type, ossicular chain reconstruction surgery material, mean air conduction threshold, air–bone gap, air–bone gap gain, word recognition score, mean operation duration and mean post-operative follow up. Results Post-operative air conduction, air–bone gap and word recognition score improved significantly in both groups (within-subject p < 0.001 for air conduction and air–bone gap, and 0.026 for word recognition score); differences between groups were not significant (between-subject p = 0.192 for air conduction, 0.102 for air–bone gap, and 0.709 for word recognition score). Other parameters were similar between groups, except for incision type. However, endoscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery was associated with a significantly shorter operation duration (p < 0.001). Conclusion Endoscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery can achieve comparable surgical and audiological outcomes to those of microscopic ossicular chain reconstruction surgery in a shorter time.

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The Effect of Monaurally Fitted Hearing Aid Use on the Evolution of Presbycusis

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/0003489421995279 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 000348942199527

Author(s):

Gabriel Dunya ◽

Fadi Najem ◽

Aurelie Mailhac ◽

Samer Abou Rizk ◽

Marc Bassim

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Residual Hearing ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Pure Tone Average ◽

Hearing Aid Use ◽

Deprivation Effect ◽

Significant Difference

Objective: The effect of hearing aid use on the evolution of presbycusis has not been well described in the literature, with only a handful of publications addressing this topic. This paper aims to evaluate the long-term use of amplification and its effect on pure-tone thresholds and word recognition scores. Method: Monaurally fitted patients were followed with serial audiograms. Data was collected from hearing aid centers. Seventy-seven patients with presbycusis met the inclusion criteria and participated in the present study. The progression of hearing loss in both pure tone thresholds and word recognition scores were compared between the hearing aid ears (HA), and the non-hearing aid ears (NHA). Pure tone thresholds were analyzed by comparing the pure tone average at the initial and last audiograms. Word Recognition Scores (WRS) were analyzed using the model of Thornton and Raffin (1978), and by comparing the change in the absolute values of WRS from the initial to the last audiogram between the HA ear and the NHA ear. Results: No significant difference in pure-tone thresholds between the HA ear and NHA ear was found at the last audiogram ( P = .696), even after dividing the patients into groups based on the duration of amplification. Both methods of analysis of patients’ WRS showed a statistically significant worsening in NHA ( P < .05). Conclusion: The present study supports the previously defined auditory deprivation effect on non-fitted ears, which showed worsening of word recognition over time and no effect on pure tone average. It provides an additional argument for the counseling of patients with presbycusis considering amplification, and highlights the importance of bilateral amplification in preserving the residual hearing of hearing impaired patients.

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Word Recognition in Multitalker Babble Measured with Two Psychophysical Methods

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa.16.8.11 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 16 (08) ◽

pp. 622-630 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Richard H. Wilson ◽

Christopher A. Burks ◽

Deborah G. Weakley

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Background Noise ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Random Presentation ◽

Presentation Level ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Northwestern University ◽

And Performance ◽

The Relationship

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the relationship between psychometric functions for words presented in multitalker babble using a descending presentation level protocol and a random presentation level protocol. Forty veterans (mean = 63.5 years) with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing losses were enrolled. Seventy of the Northwestern University Auditory Test No. 6 words spoken by the VA female speaker were presented at seven signal-to-babble ratios from 24 to 0 dB (10 words/step). Although the random procedure required 69 sec longer to administer than the descending protocol, there was no significant difference between the results obtained with the two psychophysical methods. There was almost no relation between the perceived ability of the listeners to understand speech in background noise and their measured ability to understand speech in multitalker babble. Likewise, there was a tenuous relation between pure-tone thresholds and performance on the words in babble and between recognition performance in quiet and performance on the words in babble.

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Pure-Tone Thresholds and Word-Recognition Abilities of Hearing-Impaired Children

Journal of Speech and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.1702.194 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 194-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Norman P. Erber

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Pure Tone ◽

Hearing Impaired ◽

Pure Tone Average ◽

Recognition Ability ◽

Impaired Children ◽

Degree Of Overlap ◽

Better Than ◽

Hearing Impaired Children

A recorded list of 25 spondaic words was administered monaurally through earphones to 72 hearing-impaired children to evaluate their comprehension of “easy” speech material. The subjects ranged in age from eight to 16 years, and their average pure-tone thresholds (500-1000-2000 Hz) ranged in level from 52 to 127 dB (ANSI, 1969). Most spondee-recognition scores either were high (70 to 100* correct) or low (0 to 30% correct). The degree of overlap in thresholds between the high-scoring and the low-scoring groups differed as a function of the method used to describe the audiogram. The pure-tone average of 500-1000-2000 Hz was a good, but not perfect, predictor of spondee-recognition ability. In general, children with average pure-tone thresholds better than about 85 dB HTL (ANSI, 1969) scored high, and those with thresholds poorer than about 100 dB scored low. Spondee-recognition scores, however, could not be predicted with accuracy for children whose audiograms fell between 85 and 100 dB HTL.

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Comparison of Cortical Auditory Evoked Potential Findings in Presbycusis with Low and High Word-Recognition Score

Journal of the American Academy of Audiology ◽

10.3766/jaaa19063x ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Selhan G¨urkan ◽

Serpil M. Durankaya ◽

Basak Mutlu ◽

Yalc¸ın ˙Isler ◽

Yig˘it O¨. Uzun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Word Recognition ◽

Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽

The Elderly ◽

Recognition Score ◽

Auditory Evoked Potential ◽

Speech Understanding ◽

Test Statistic ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Speech Detection ◽

Significant Prolongation

Background: Deteriorated speech understanding is a common complaint in elderly people, and behavioraltests are used for routine clinical assessment of this problem. Cortical auditory evoked potentials(CAEPs) are frequently used for assessing speech detection and discrimination abilities of the elderly,and give promise for differential diagnosis of speech-understanding problems. Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the P1, N1, and P2 CAEP latencies and amplitudes inpresbycusis with low and high word recognition score (WRS). Research Design: A cross-sectional study design was used for the study. Two groups were formed fromthe patients with presbycusis based on their scores on the speech-recognition test. Study Sample: Fifty-seven elderly volunteers participated in the study. The first group composed of 27participants with high WRS, the other group composed of 30 participants with low WRS. Data Collection and Analysis: The CAEP waves were recorded from these participants using speech signals.Latencies and amplitudes of P1-N1-P2 waves of the two groups were compared with the t-test statistic. Results: There were significant prolongation of P1 and N1 latencies in presbycusis with low WRS whencompared with presbycusis with a relatively high word score (p < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the result of the research, P1 and N1 latencies of presbycusis with low WRSwere longer than the participants with high WRS. Factors affecting peripheral auditory system, such asstimulus sensation level, might be responsible for P1 and N1 latency prolongation of the low WRS group.

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