Outcomes of Hearing Aid Use by Individuals with Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss (USNHL)

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 941-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Bishop ◽  
Elgenaid Hamadain ◽  
Jason A. Galster ◽  
Mary Frances Johnson ◽  
Christopher Spankovich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Binaural Hearing ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

Background: Unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) can have a negative impact on functions associated with the advantages of balanced, binaural hearing. Although single-sided deafness, which is a complete loss of audibility in one ear, has gained increased interest in the published research, there is a gap in the literature concerning hearing aid outcomes for individuals with residual, or otherwise “aidable,” hearing in the affected ear. Purpose: To assess hearing aid outcomes for a group of individuals with USNHL with residual, aidable function. Research Design: A quasi-experimental study of hearing aid outcomes with paired comparisons made between unaided and aided test conditions. Study Sample: A convenience sample of twenty-two individuals with USNHL, with sufficient residual hearing in the affected ear as to receive audibility from use of a hearing aid, were recruited into the study from September 2011 to August 2012. Intervention: Each participant was fit with a digital behind-the-ear hearing aid coupled to a custom ear mold. Data Collection and Analysis: Assessments were performed at baseline (unaided) and after a three-month field trial (aided) with primary outcomes involving objective measures in sound field yielding signal-to-noise ratio loss (SNR Loss) via the Quick Speech-in-Noise Test and word recognition scores (WRS) via the Northwestern University Auditory Test, No. 6. Outcomes also involved the administration of two well-established subjective benefit questionnaires: The Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) and the 49-item Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ49). Results: As a group, participants showed significantly improved median SNR Loss thresholds when aided in a test condition that included spatial separation of speech and noise, with speech stimuli directed toward the worse ear and noise stimuli directed toward the better ear (diff. = −4.5; p < 0.001). Hearing aid use had a small, though statistically significant, negative impact on median SNR Loss thresholds, when speech and noise stimuli originated from the same 0° azimuth (diff. = 1.0; p = 0.018). This was also evidenced by the median WRS in sound field (diff. = −6.0; p = 0.006), which was lowered from 98% in the unaided state to 92% in the aided state. Results from the SSQ49 showed statistically significant improvement on all subsection means when participants were aided (p < 0.05), whereas results from the APHAB were generally found to be unremarkable between unaided and aided conditions as benefit was essentially equal to the 50th percentile of the normative data. At the close of the study, it was observed that only slightly more than half of all participants chose to continue use of a hearing aid after their participation. Conclusions: We observed that hearing aid use by individuals with USNHL can improve the SNR Loss associated with the interference of background noise, especially in situations when there is spatial separation of the stimuli and speech is directed toward the affected ear. In addition, hearing aid use by these individuals can provide subjective benefit, as evidenced by the APHAB and SSQ49 subjective benefit questionnaires.

scholarly journals Investigating the Impact of Hearing Aid Use and Auditory Training on Cognition, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Interaction in Adults With Hearing Loss: Protocol for a Crossover Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Nkyekyer ◽  
Denny Meyer ◽  
Peter J Blamey ◽  
Andrew Pipingas ◽  
Sunil Bhar
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Auditory Training ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

BACKGROUND Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit among older adults. Some of the psychosocial consequences of this condition include difficulty in understanding speech, depression, and social isolation. Studies have shown that older adults with hearing loss show some age-related cognitive decline. Hearing aids have been proven as successful interventions to alleviate sensorineural hearing loss. In addition to hearing aid use, the positive effects of auditory training—formal listening activities designed to optimize speech perception—are now being documented among adults with hearing loss who use hearing aids, especially new hearing aid users. Auditory training has also been shown to produce prolonged cognitive performance improvements. However, there is still little evidence to support the benefits of simultaneous hearing aid use and individualized face-to-face auditory training on cognitive performance in adults with hearing loss. OBJECTIVE This study will investigate whether using hearing aids for the first time will improve the impact of individualized face-to-face auditory training on cognition, depression, and social interaction for adults with sensorineural hearing loss. The rationale for this study is based on the hypothesis that, in adults with sensorineural hearing loss, using hearing aids for the first time in combination with individualized face-to-face auditory training will be more effective for improving cognition, depressive symptoms, and social interaction rather than auditory training on its own. METHODS This is a crossover trial targeting 40 men and women between 50 and 90 years of age with either mild or moderate symmetric sensorineural hearing loss. Consented, willing participants will be recruited from either an independent living accommodation or via a community database to undergo a 6-month intensive face-to-face auditory training program (active control). Participants will be assigned in random order to receive hearing aid (intervention) for either the first 3 or last 3 months of the 6-month auditory training program. Each participant will be tested at baseline, 3, and 6 months using a neuropsychological battery of computer-based cognitive assessments, together with a depression symptom instrument and a social interaction measure. The primary outcome will be cognitive performance with regard to spatial working memory. Secondary outcome measures include other cognition performance measures, depressive symptoms, social interaction, and hearing satisfaction. RESULTS Data analysis is currently under way and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in June 2018. CONCLUSIONS Results from the study will inform strategies for aural rehabilitation, hearing aid delivery, and future hearing loss intervention trials. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03112850; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03112850 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xz12fD0B).

Temporary Increase in Sensorineural Hearing Loss with Hearing Aid Use

1979 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Patricia Heffernan ◽  
Marsha R. Simons
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Hearing Threshold ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
Power Outputs

Two cases are presented exhibiting temporary increases in sensorineural hearing loss following hearing aid use. Data suggesting this correlation are shown. There were no contributing middle ear problems during the period surveyed. The most significant changes in hearing thresholds were at frequencies 1000 and 2000 Hz. The use of different hearing aids, with decreased maximum power outputs, was not found to have similar effects on hearing threshold levels. A scheduling regime is recommended for introducing any new hearing aid to a child.

scholarly journals Hearing Aid Use in Older Adults With Postlingual Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E Hughes ◽  
Joanna Nkyekyer ◽  
Hamish Innes-Brown ◽  
Susan L Rossell ◽  
David Sly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Psychosocial Factors ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Speech Processing ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Training Centre ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

BACKGROUND Older adults with postlingual sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) exhibit a poor prognosis that not only includes impaired auditory function but also rapid cognitive decline, especially speech-related cognition, in addition to psychosocial dysfunction and an increased risk of dementia. Consistent with this prognosis, individuals with SNHL exhibit global atrophic brain alteration as well as altered neural function and regional brain organization within the cortical substrates that underlie auditory and speech processing. Recent evidence suggests that the use of hearing aids might ameliorate this prognosis. OBJECTIVE The objective was to study the effects of a hearing aid use intervention on neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning in individuals with SNHL aged ≥55 years. METHODS All aspects of this study will be conducted at Swinburne University of Technology (Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia). We will recruit 2 groups (n=30 per group) of individuals with mild to moderate SNHL from both the community and audiology health clinics (Alison Hennessy Audiology, Chelsea Hearing Pty Ltd). These groups will include individuals who have worn a hearing aid for, at least, 12 months or never worn a hearing aid. All participants would be asked to complete, at 2 time points (t) including baseline (t=0) and follow-up (t=6 months), tests of hearing and psychosocial and cognitive function and attend a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session. The MRI session will include both structural and functional MRI (sMRI and fMRI) scans, the latter involving the performance of a novel speech processing task. RESULTS This research is funded by the Barbara Dicker Brain Sciences Foundation Grants, the Australian Research Council, Alison Hennessy Audiology, and Chelsea Hearing Pty Ltd under the Industry Transformation Training Centre Scheme (ARC Project #IC140100023). We obtained the ethics approval on November 18, 2017 (Swinburne University Human Research Ethics Committee protocol number SHR Project 2017/266). The recruitment began in December 2017 and will be completed by December 2020. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to assess the effect hearing aid use has on neural, cognitive, and psychosocial factors in individuals with SNHL who have never used hearing aids. Furthermore, this study is expected to clarify the relationships among altered brain structure and function, psychosocial factors, and cognition in response to the hearing aid use. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12617001616369; https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12617001616369 (Accessed by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70yatZ9ze) INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR RR1-10.2196/9916

scholarly journals A Comparison Study of the Auditory P300 Results of Elderly Patients with Sensorineural Hearing Loss

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noppamont Mongkalanantakul ◽  
Krisna Lertsukprasert ◽  
Montip Tiensuwan
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Mean Amplitude ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Hearing Aid Fitting ◽  
Auditory P300 ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Significant Difference

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the auditory P300 results of elderly patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) before and after hearing aid use. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July, 2016 to April, 2017 at the Hearing Aid Clinic of Ramathibodi Hospital. Twenty-six elderly patients aged ≥60 with bilateral symmetrical SNHL who were referred for unilateral hearing aid fitting by otolaryngologist were included. The auditory P300 was recorded before and 2 months after hearing aid fitting. Results: The P300 waveforms, with a mean latency of 374.48 milliseconds and mean amplitude of 6.68 microvolts (µV), could be recorded in only 21 participants. At 2 months after hearing aid use, the mean P3 latency was 376.83 ms and mean amplitude was 8.77 µV. There was a statistically significant difference in amplitude of P300 2 months after hearing aid fitting (p-value=0.004). Conclusion: The auditory P300 results indicate an improvement in cognitive ability with higher amplitude. Thus, the P300 may be used to evaluate improvements in cognitive function after using a hearing aid. It can also be used as a guideline for explaining the benefits of hearing aid use to patients who initially rejected a hearing aid.

Temporary and Permanent Threshold Shift Caused by Hearing Aid Use

1995 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 949-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Macrae
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Threshold Shift ◽  
Hearing Aid Use ◽  
Sound Levels ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Good Agreement

Excessive amplification by hearing aids causes temporary threshold shift (TTS) and permanent threshold shift (PTS). This investigation addressed the question whether it might be possible to predict the eventual amount of PTS caused by excessive amplification from the amount of TTS it causes after a day of hearing aid use. Asymptotic TTS (ATS) to be expected as a result of hearing aid use was predicted for 8 children with sensorineural hearing loss and the predicted ATS was compared with observed permanent deterioration of their thresholds attributed to hearing aid use. There was good agreement between the predicted ATS and observed PTS at 500 to 2000 Hz. It follows that, for prediction of PTS caused by hearing aid use, the mean of the sound levels produced in the ear by the hearing aid is the correct equivalent continuous level (ECL) to use and that the Modified Power Law (MPL) is the appropriate method of adjusting the predictions for sensorineural hearing loss, because these have been shown to be appropriate for prediction of TTS caused by hearing aid use. Predictions of the PTS to be expected for the children that were carried out using the MPL and the mean level as the ECL were in good agreement with the observed PTS at 500 to 2000 Hz, whereas predictions of PTS based on an alternative method of correction for sensorineural hearing loss (the Continuation Hypothesis) were significantly less than the observed amounts. The results of the PTS predictions therefore confirmed the conclusions drawn from the results of the ATS predictions.

scholarly journals Hearing Aid Use in Older Adults With Postlingual Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. e174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E Hughes ◽  
Joanna Nkyekyer ◽  
Hamish Innes-Brown ◽  
Susan L Rossell ◽  
David Sly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Hearing Aid Use

Otologics Fully Implantable Hearing Device Phase II Results

2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P57-P57
Author(s):  
Drew M Horlbeck ◽  
Herman A Jenkins ◽  
Ben J Balough ◽  
Michael E Hoffer
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
Sound Field ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Hearing Device

Objective The efficacy of the Otologics Fully Implantable Hearing Device (MET) was assessed in adult patients with bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Methods Surgical insertion of this totally implanted system was identical to the Phase I study. A repeated-measures within-subjects design assessed aided sound field thresholds and speech performances with the subject's own, appropriately fit, walk-in hearing aid(s) and the Otologics Fully Implantable Hearing Device. Results Six- and 12-month Phase II data will be presented. Ten patients were implanted and activated as part Phase II clinical trial. Three patients were lost to long term follow-up due to two coil failures and one ossicular abnormality preventing proper device placement. No significant differences between preoperative (AC = 59 dB, BC = 55 dB) and postoperative (AC = 61 dB, BC = 54 dB) unaided pure tone averages were noted (p < 0.05). Pure tone average implant aided thresholds (41 dB) were equivalent to that of walk-in-aided (37 dB) condition with no significant difference (p < 0.05) between patients’ walk-in-aided individual frequency thresholds and implant-aided thresholds. Word recognition scores and hearing in noise scores were similar between the walk-in-aided and for the implant-aided condition. Patient benefit scales will be presented at all end points. Conclusions Results of the Otologics MET Fully Implantable Hearing Device Phase II trial provide evidence that this fully implantable device is a viable alternative to currently available hearing aids in patients with sensorineural hearing loss.

scholarly journals The Vibrant Soundbridge

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-149
Author(s):  
Ashutosh G Pusalkar
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aid ◽  
Sensorineural Hearing ◽  
Speech Discrimination ◽  
Vibrant Soundbridge ◽  
Hearing Improvement ◽  
Electronic Engineer

Abstract Till about 15 years ago, the only choice of hearing improvement for moderate sensorineural hearing loss with severe speech discrimination defect was a hearing aid. It was only after Mr. Geoff Ball, an electronic engineer who was suffering from a similar defect, started thinking of an alternative to the conventional hearing aid that the Vibrant Soundbridge came into existence, and with the passage of time the indications for the use of the same have increased.

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