Hearing Instruments for Unilateral Severe-to-Profound Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Ear & Hearing
Kitterick, P. T., Smith, S. N., et al. (2016).
Ear & Hearing, 37(5), 495-507.
This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effect of hearing device use on speech perception, sound localization, hearing-related quality of life, and health-related quality of life in adults with unilateral hearing loss.
National Institute for Health Research (United Kingdom)
There was limited evidence available to analyze the effects of cochlear implants on speech perception in noise for patients with unilateral hearing loss. Three studies reported significant benefits; however, the data could not be synthesized for the meta-analysis because of the variation in methodology.
For adults with unilateral hearing loss, rerouting devices benefit speech perception only when the signal-to-noise ratio was better on the impaired side than the non-impaired side. When the signal-to-noise ratio was worse on the impaired side, rerouting to the non-impaired side hindered performance. Additionally, the meta-analysis revealed small and non-significant effects for rerouting devices assistance with the ability to localize sound.
