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Binaural Effects As Obtained From Bilaterally Implanted Adults Wackym, P
A, Firszt J F, Runge-S`muelson C, Gaggl W,Mohd Alkaf F, Burg L Objectives: Preliminary studies show the bilateral cochlear implantation improves speech recognition ability in most subjects. Less data is available regarding the impact of cochlear implantation in subjects with unilateral hearing loss or in subjects who receive bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) in a sequential manner. The objective of our research was to explore the perceived benefit and effect on speech recognition when listening in the binaural condition. Study Design: Subjects were adult cochlear implant recipients. Three groups were studied: 1) individuals receiving simultaneous bilateral CIs; 2) individuals receiving sequential bilateral CIs; and 3) individuals with a unilateral hearing loss who received a single CI to become binaural listeners. All subjects completed the Ontario Health Utility Index (revised for CI users). Word and sentence recognition tests were administered in the unilateral and bilateral conditions, with and without noise. Results: All subjects preferred the binaural listening condition. In addition to the measured improvement in quality of life, several interesting quantitative differences, as well as anecdotal observations were made by the subjects, which will be presented. Conclusions: Preliminary study findings suggest that the outcomes of subjects with CIs that provide the ability to hear binaurally increases the quality of life and the speech recognition ability, when compared to the unilateral hearing condition. Auditory input from one ear may activate central pathways that influence the outcome of the second ear. The implications for cochlear implantation to provide binaural hearing will be discussed. Contact Information
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