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Role of early hearing aid experience in speech recognition in patients with bilateral congenital microtia following Bonebridge implantation: a retrospective cohort study

  • Otology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To identify audiological and demographic variables that predict speech recognition abilities in patients with bilateral microtia who underwent Bonebridge (BB) implantation.

Methods

Fifty patients with bilateral microtia and bilateral conductive hearing loss (CHL) who underwent BB implantation were included. Demographic data, preoperative hearing aid use experience, and audiological outcomes (including pure-tone hearing threshold, sound field hearing threshold [SFHT], and speech recognition ability) for each participant were obtained. The Chinese-Mandarin Speech Test Materials were used to test speech recognition ability. The word recognition score (WRS) of disyllabic words at 65 dB SPL signals was measured before and after BB implantation in quiet and noisy conditions.

Results

The mean preoperative WRS under quiet and noisy conditions was 10.44 ± 12.73% and 5.90 ± 8.76%, which was significantly improved to 86.38 ± 9.03% and 80.70 ± 11.34%, respectively, following BB fitting. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that lower preoperative SFHT suggested higher preoperative WRS under both quiet and noisy conditions. Higher age at implantation predicted higher preoperative WRS under quiet conditions. Furthermore, patients with more preoperative hearing aid experience and lower postoperative SFHT were more likely to have higher postoperative WRS under both quiet and noisy testing conditions.

Conclusions

This study represents the first attempt to identify predictors of preoperative and postoperative speech recognition abilities in patients with bilateral microtia with BB implantation. These findings emphasize that early hearing intervention before implantation surgery, combined with appropriate postoperative fitting, contributes to optimal benefits in terms of postoperative speech recognition ability.

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Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

Abbreviations

BB:

Bonebridge

CHL:

Conductive hearing loss

BCDs:

Bone conduction devices

BCIs:

Bone conduction implants

BHCAs:

Bone conduction hearing aids

AP:

Audio processor

BC-FMT:

Floating-mass transducer

PTA:

Pure-tone average

BC:

Bone conduction

AC:

Air conduction

SFHT:

Sound field hearing thresholds

FHG:

Functional hearing gain

WRS:

Word recognition scores

ANOVA:

One-way analysis of variance

SD:

Standard deviation

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the parents of the children included in this study.

Funding

This study was funded by a grant that Shouqin Zhao received from the Capital Health Research and Development of Special (Grant no. 2020-2-2057).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100730, China

    Yujie Liu, Lin Yang, Peiwei Chen, Jinsong Yang, Ran Ren, Ying Li, Danni Wang & Shouqin Zhao

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  1. Yujie Liu
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  2. Lin Yang
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  7. Danni Wang
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Contributions

YJL and DNW was responsible for the preparation of the manuscript, performing audiological tests. LY performed audiological tests and completed the literature review. PWC analysed the data. JSY prepared and edited of the manuscript. RR and YL coordinated the research clinics to conduct follow-up of the BB cohort. DNW contributed to editing the manuscript and developed the discussion. SQZ was the lead surgeon for all BB cases. The authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Danni Wang or Shouqin Zhao.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The study design was approved by the medical committee of Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University (TRECKY2018-067). Written informed consents for participation were obtained from the legal guardians of all participants.

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All study subjects provided informed consent and approved to publish.

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Liu, Y., Yang, L., Chen, P. et al. Role of early hearing aid experience in speech recognition in patients with bilateral congenital microtia following Bonebridge implantation: a retrospective cohort study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 281, 1205–1214 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-08210-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-023-08210-7

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