De Ceulaer, Geert

Govaerts, Paul

Rajan, Gunesh P.

Tavora-Vieira, Dayse

Abstract: Objectives: One of the major complaints of people with a single-sided deafness is the inability to localize sound sources. Evidence suggests that subjects with a hearing loss can benefit from the use of a cochlear implant (CI) in sound localization. This study aimed to determine the effect of CI use on localization ability in unilaterally deafened subjects. Design: Sixteen adult subjects with postlingual unilateral deafness, fitted with a CI on the deaf side, were included in this study. The auditory speech sounds evaluation (A E) localization test was used to determine localization with a CI on (binaural) and a CI off (monaural). The root mean square error was used as a measure of the subject's localization performance. Stratified analyses were performed to test the influence of gender, age of implantation (55 years), and the duration of deafness (10 years) on localization ability. Results: Subjects with a CI on localized significantly better than without a CI. Gender, age, and the duration of deafness had no effect on the localization ability of the subjects. Conclusions: Cochlear implantation is effective in improving localization abilities in subjects with unilateral deafness. The root mean square error dropped significantly with binaural hearing compared to monaural hearing

Cochlear implantation improves localization ability in patients with unilateral deafness

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