TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards a Unified Testing Framework for Single-Sided Deafness Studies
T2 - A Consensus Paper
AU - Van de Heyning, Paul
AU - Távora-Vieira, Dayse
AU - Mertens, Griet
AU - Van Rompaey, Vincent
AU - Rajan, Gunesh P
AU - Müller, Joachim
AU - Hempel, John Martin
AU - Leander, Daniel
AU - Polterauer, Daniel
AU - Marx, Mathieu
AU - Usami, Shin-Ichi
AU - Kitoh, Ryosuke
AU - Miyagawa, Maiko
AU - Moteki, Hideaki
AU - Smilsky, Kari
AU - Baumgartner, Wolf-Dieter
AU - Keintzel, Thomas Georg
AU - Sprinzl, Georg Mathias
AU - Wolf-Magele, Astrid
AU - Arndt, Susan
AU - Wesarg, Thomas
AU - Zirn, Stefan
AU - Baumann, Uwe
AU - Weissgerber, Tobias
AU - Rader, Tobias
AU - Hagen, Rudolf
AU - Kurz, Anja
AU - Rak, Kristen
AU - Stokroos, Robert
AU - George, Erwin
AU - Polo, Ruben
AU - Medina, María Del Mar
AU - Henkin, Yael
AU - Hilly, Ohad
AU - Ulanovski, David
AU - Rajeswaran, Ranjith
AU - Kameswaran, Mohan
AU - Di Gregorio, Maria Fernanda
AU - Zernotti, Mario E
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.
PY - 2017/5/1
Y1 - 2017/5/1
N2 - BACKGROUND: While hearing aids for a contralateral routing of signals (CROS-HA) and bone conduction devices have been the traditional treatment for single-sided deafness (SSD) and asymmetric hearing loss (AHL), in recent years, cochlear implants (CIs) have increasingly become a viable treatment choice, particularly in countries where regulatory approval and reimbursement schemes are in place. Part of the reason for this shift is that the CI is the only device capable of restoring bilateral input to the auditory system and hence of possibly reinstating binaural hearing. Although several studies have independently shown that the CI is a safe and effective treatment for SSD and AHL, clinical outcome measures in those studies and across CI centers vary greatly. Only with a consistent use of defined and agreed-upon outcome measures across centers can high-level evidence be generated to assess the safety and efficacy of CIs and alternative treatments in recipients with SSD and AHL.METHODS: This paper presents a comparative study design and minimum outcome measures for the assessment of current treatment options in patients with SSD/AHL. The protocol was developed, discussed, and eventually agreed upon by expert panels that convened at the 2015 APSCI conference in Beijing, China, and at the CI 2016 conference in Toronto, Canada.RESULTS: A longitudinal study design comparing CROS-HA, BCD, and CI treatments is proposed. The recommended outcome measures include (1) speech in noise testing, using the same set of 3 spatial configurations to compare binaural benefits such as summation, squelch, and head shadow across devices; (2) localization testing, using stimuli that rove in both level and spectral content; (3) questionnaires to collect quality of life measures and the frequency of device use; and (4) questionnaires for assessing the impact of tinnitus before and after treatment, if applicable.CONCLUSION: A protocol for the assessment of treatment options and outcomes in recipients with SSD and AHL is presented. The proposed set of minimum outcome measures aims at harmonizing assessment methods across centers and thus at generating a growing body of high-level evidence for those treatment options.
AB - BACKGROUND: While hearing aids for a contralateral routing of signals (CROS-HA) and bone conduction devices have been the traditional treatment for single-sided deafness (SSD) and asymmetric hearing loss (AHL), in recent years, cochlear implants (CIs) have increasingly become a viable treatment choice, particularly in countries where regulatory approval and reimbursement schemes are in place. Part of the reason for this shift is that the CI is the only device capable of restoring bilateral input to the auditory system and hence of possibly reinstating binaural hearing. Although several studies have independently shown that the CI is a safe and effective treatment for SSD and AHL, clinical outcome measures in those studies and across CI centers vary greatly. Only with a consistent use of defined and agreed-upon outcome measures across centers can high-level evidence be generated to assess the safety and efficacy of CIs and alternative treatments in recipients with SSD and AHL.METHODS: This paper presents a comparative study design and minimum outcome measures for the assessment of current treatment options in patients with SSD/AHL. The protocol was developed, discussed, and eventually agreed upon by expert panels that convened at the 2015 APSCI conference in Beijing, China, and at the CI 2016 conference in Toronto, Canada.RESULTS: A longitudinal study design comparing CROS-HA, BCD, and CI treatments is proposed. The recommended outcome measures include (1) speech in noise testing, using the same set of 3 spatial configurations to compare binaural benefits such as summation, squelch, and head shadow across devices; (2) localization testing, using stimuli that rove in both level and spectral content; (3) questionnaires to collect quality of life measures and the frequency of device use; and (4) questionnaires for assessing the impact of tinnitus before and after treatment, if applicable.CONCLUSION: A protocol for the assessment of treatment options and outcomes in recipients with SSD and AHL is presented. The proposed set of minimum outcome measures aims at harmonizing assessment methods across centers and thus at generating a growing body of high-level evidence for those treatment options.
KW - Cochlear Implantation/methods
KW - Cochlear Implants
KW - Consensus
KW - Deafness/physiopathology
KW - Hearing Aids
KW - Hearing Loss, Unilateral/physiopathology
KW - Humans
KW - Longitudinal Studies
KW - Noise
KW - Prospective Studies
KW - Quality of Life
KW - Sound Localization
KW - Speech Perception
KW - Surveys and Questionnaires
KW - Tinnitus
KW - Treatment Outcome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85015942186&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1159/000455058
DO - 10.1159/000455058
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 28319951
SN - 1420-3030
VL - 21
SP - 391
EP - 398
JO - Audiology and Neuro-Otology
JF - Audiology and Neuro-Otology
IS - 6
ER -