This meta-analysis compares the effects of bone conduction devices and cochlear impants on speech discrimination in noise, sound localization, and tinnitus suppression outcomes in children (years of age and older) and adults with single-sided deafness.
No funding received
January 2009 to January 2019
All study designs
19
For individuals with single-sided deafness, cochlear implants (CI) and bone conduction devices (BCD) were found to provide different benefits:<ul> <li>Sound localization was significantly better with CI with an average improvement of 13.9 degrees compared to an average of 2.31 degrees with BCD. </li> <li>For speech discrimination, BCD demonstrated better discrimination in noise. The sound signal level for the BCD was 0.42 dB lower than the noise level to achieve 50% accuracy for word repetition, while the sound signal level for CI was 0.667 dB higher to match the same 50% accuracy.</li> <li>On the Tinnitus Handicap Instrument, symptoms were decreased an average of 37.97 points for CI patients and decreased an average of 9.89 points for patients with BCD.</li> <li>On the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB), the CI group reported statistically significant improvements overall, in ease of communication, and in reverberation subscales. The BCD group reported statistically significant improvements for sound discrimination in noise.</li></ul>The authors conclude that both CI and BCD should be considered as treatment options for individuals with single-sided deafness.<ul></ul>
