Costa Letícia Pimenta, Iório Maria Cecília Martinelli
Curso de Fonoaudiologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
Pro Fono. 2006 Jan-Apr;18(1):21-30. doi: 10.1590/s0104-56872006000100004.
Sensorineural hearing impaired individuals benefit themselves with the use of nonlinear amplification, once the compression tries to reestablish the sensation of normal loudness. However, the literature is still controversial in relation to the benefits for speech recognition in users of linear and nonlinear hearing aids.
For this reason, the purpose of this study was to compare the performance of linear and nonlinear hearing aid users through objective and subjective evaluations, verifying the best circuit for hearing adaptation and speech recognition in silence and in noise.
21 bilateral hearing aid users, who had been using the hearing aid for at least 3 months, with 12 to 64 years of age and with mild to moderate-severe hearing losses were studied according to the type of amplification used, forming two groups: linear group composed by 10 linear hearing aid users; and nonlinear group, composed by 11 nonlinear hearing aid users. Speech recognition tests were applied in silence and in noise, as well as the International Outcome Inventory of Hearing Aids questionnaire.
Statistically significant differences were not observed between the groups for the speech recognition tests, in silence and in noise, and for the questionnaire.
It can be concluded that no difference exists in the performance of linear and nonlinear hearing aids users, regarding the objective evaluations (speech tests) and the subjective evaluations (questionnaire), that indicate a better adaptation or a better speech recognition in silence or in noise.
感音神经性听力受损者使用非线性放大技术会受益，因为压缩技术试图重建正常响度的感觉。然而，关于线性和非线性助听器使用者在言语识别方面的益处，文献中仍存在争议。
因此，本研究的目的是通过客观和主观评估比较线性和非线性助听器使用者的表现，验证在安静和噪声环境下听力适应和言语识别的最佳电路。
根据所使用的放大类型，对21名双侧助听器使用者进行了研究，这些使用者使用助听器至少3个月，年龄在12至64岁之间，听力损失为轻度至中度重度，分为两组：线性组由10名线性助听器使用者组成；非线性组由11名非线性助听器使用者组成。在安静和噪声环境下进行言语识别测试，并应用助听器国际结果量表问卷。
在安静和噪声环境下的言语识别测试以及问卷方面，两组之间未观察到统计学上的显著差异。
可以得出结论，在线性和非线性助听器使用者的表现方面，客观评估（言语测试）和主观评估（问卷）均未显示出差异，这些评估表明在安静或噪声环境下有更好的适应性或更好的言语识别能力。
