Daniela Hollfelder1, Lukas Prein2, Tim Jürgens2, Anke Leichtle3, Karl-Ludwig Bruchhage3. 1. Klinik für Hals- Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562, Lübeck, Deutschland. daniela.hollfelder@uksh.de. 2. Institut für Akustik, Technische Hochschule Lübeck, Mönkhofer Weg 239, 23562, Lübeck, Deutschland. 3. Klinik für Hals- Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562, Lübeck, Deutschland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Besides speech intelligibility, subjective listening effort is an important outcome for the success of hearing devices and their signal processing. The aim of the present study was to determine subjective listening effort for speech in a noisy background in patients with the active middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) for omnidirectional and directional microphone settings, with and without occlusion of the contralateral ear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 15 patients using a VSB were measured using the adaptive categorical listening effort scaling (ACALES) method in a ring of loudspeakers placed in an anechoic room. Different background noises from different directions and simultaneously presented sentences from the Oldenburg sentence test were combined in four different realistic acoustic scenes. RESULTS: The directional microphone program reduced median subjective listening effort only numerically compared to the omnidirectional microphone program in acoustic scenarios with diffuse noise and with low signal-to-noise ratios; however, this difference failed to reach statistical significance. When occluding the ear contralateral to the VSB, all investigated listening effort categories were measured at significantly higher signal-to-noise ratios than with access to both ears. CONCLUSION: Due to missing statistical significance in reduction of listening effort, this study delivered no recommendation for or against usage of the directional microphone program; however, reduced listening effort was shown for binaural listening in comparison to monaural listening. Therefore, patients should be encouraged to always listen with both ears for best results.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Besides speech intelligibility, subjective listening effort is an important outcome for the success of hearing devices and their signal processing. The aim of the present study was to determine subjective listening effort for speech in a noisy background in patients with the active middle ear implant Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) for omnidirectional and directional microphone settings, with and without occlusion of the contralateral ear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 15 patients using a VSB were measured using the adaptive categorical listening effort scaling (ACALES) method in a ring of loudspeakers placed in an anechoic room. Different background noises from different directions and simultaneously presented sentences from the Oldenburg sentence test were combined in four different realistic acoustic scenes. RESULTS: The directional microphone program reduced median subjective listening effort only numerically compared to the omnidirectional microphone program in acoustic scenarios with diffuse noise and with low signal-to-noise ratios; however, this difference failed to reach statistical significance. When occluding the ear contralateral to the VSB, all investigated listening effort categories were measured at significantly higher signal-to-noise ratios than with access to both ears. CONCLUSION: Due to missing statistical significance in reduction of listening effort, this study delivered no recommendation for or against usage of the directional microphone program; however, reduced listening effort was shown for binaural listening in comparison to monaural listening. Therefore, patients should be encouraged to always listen with both ears for best results.
Authors: M Kathleen Pichora-Fuller; Sophia E Kramer; Mark A Eckert; Brent Edwards; Benjamin W Y Hornsby; Larry E Humes; Ulrike Lemke; Thomas Lunner; Mohan Matthen; Carol L Mackersie; Graham Naylor; Natalie A Phillips; Michael Richter; Mary Rudner; Mitchell S Sommers; Kelly L Tremblay; Arthur Wingfield Journal: Ear Hear Date: 2016 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 3.570
Authors: Astrid Wolf-Magele; Viktor Koci; Johannes Schnabl; Patrick Zorowka; Herbert Riechelmann; Georg Mathias Sprinzl Journal: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2015-09-19 Impact factor: 2.503