Xiang Chenchen, Wang Yi, Cao Xiaozhu, Xv Weiman, Liu Jing, Li Nan, Han Lumeng, Wang QIan, Ji Fei
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, Beijing, China.
J Otol. 2024 Oct;19(4):207-213. doi: 10.1016/j.joto.2024.07.009. Epub 2024 Oct 20.
The prevalence of unilateral deafness (SSD) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL) among patients with hearing impairments ranges from 7.2% to 15.0%, indicating a relatively significant proportion. However, these individuals often overlook their hearing loss, resulting in delayed or inadequate treatment. This oversight can lead to a lack of binaural summation and squelch effect, as well as the head shadow effect, which can significantly impact their speech recognition and sound localization abilities, especially in noisy environments.Recently, a groundbreaking Sound Bite™ Pinyin® Bone Conduction Hearing Aid (HA) device has been has been introduced as a viable alternative to traditional percutaneous stimulation hearing assistance devices. This innovative device harnesses bone conduction technology to convey sound vibrations directly to the inner ear via the bones of the jaw and skull, effectively bypassing the air conduction pathway that is commonly compromised in individuals with hearing loss. This report details the evaluation and adjustment process of a HA device worn by a 31-year-old female patient who suffers from a congenital ossicular chain deformity in her right ear, while maintaining normal hearing in her left ear.The report comprehensively covers the hearing thresholds of the 31-year-old female patient on the day of fitting the hearing aid and one month later. It also presents assessments of the hearing aid's performance through the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire, conducted three days after adjustment, one month later, and one year later.Furthermore, the report details the evaluation of the patient's sound localization ability, comparing her performance before and after wearing the hearing aid device. Additionally, it includes measurements of her speech recognition ability for monosyllabic words and Yang Yang Ge words, which are specific tests in the Chinese language, conducted two years after the initial fitting of the hearing aid.The discovery that bone-anchored hearing devices can significantly enhance hearing thresholds in patients with unilateral conductive hearing loss represents a significant milestone. These devices not only improve speech recognition ability but also enhance sound localization in noisy environments. This improvement is accompanied by a high level of subjective satisfaction among patients, indicating a positive impact on their overall quality of life.
听力受损患者中单侧耳聋（SSD）或不对称听力损失（AHL）的患病率在7.2%至15.0%之间，这一比例相对较高。然而，这些人往往忽视自己的听力损失，导致治疗延迟或不充分。这种疏忽会导致双耳总和及静噪效应的缺失，以及头影效应，这会严重影响他们的言语识别和声音定位能力，尤其是在嘈杂环境中。最近，一款开创性的Sound Bite™拼音®骨传导助听器（HA）设备被引入，作为传统经皮刺激听力辅助设备的可行替代方案。这款创新设备利用骨传导技术，通过颌骨和颅骨将声音振动直接传递到内耳，有效绕过了听力损失患者通常受损的空气传导途径。本报告详细介绍了一名31岁女性患者佩戴HA设备的评估和调整过程，该患者右耳患有先天性听骨链畸形，而左耳听力正常。报告全面涵盖了该31岁女性患者在佩戴助听器当天及一个月后的听力阈值。报告还通过调整后三天、一个月后和一年后进行的助听器受益简表（APHAB）问卷，对助听器的性能进行了评估。此外，报告详细评估了患者的声音定位能力，比较了她佩戴助听器前后的表现。此外，报告还包括在助听器初次佩戴两年后，对她的单音节词和扬扬格词的言语识别能力进行的测量，这是中文中的特定测试。骨锚式听力设备能显著提高单侧传导性听力损失患者的听力阈值，这一发现具有重要的里程碑意义。这些设备不仅提高了言语识别能力，还增强了在嘈杂环境中的声音定位能力。这种改善伴随着患者的高度主观满意度，表明对他们的整体生活质量产生了积极影响。
