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A study of the application of a frequency transposition hearing system in children
B M MacArdle1, C West, J Bradley
1Cochlear Implant Programme, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.
Insights
A study on the Transonic FT 40 system for children with profound sensorineural hearing loss found low long-term usage. A small subgroup of younger, oral communicators showed benefits, suggesting specific fitting criteria for frequency transposition hearing systems.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Hearing Loss
- Hearing Aid Technology
Background:
- Profound sensorineural hearing loss in children presents significant communication challenges.
- Conventional hearing aids may not provide sufficient benefit for all children with severe hearing impairments.
- Frequency transposition hearing systems offer an alternative approach to audiological rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term use and effectiveness of the Transonic FT 40 frequency transposition system in children with profound sensorineural hearing loss.
- To identify factors associated with successful use and benefit from the FT 40 system.
- To suggest potential fitting criteria and outcome measures for this technology.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 36 children fitted with the Transonic FT 40 system.
- Analysis of device usage rates, reasons for discontinuation, and audiological outcomes at 48 months post-fitting.
- Assessment of aided soundfield hearing thresholds and speech perception tests (E2L toy test, Manchester Picture Test).
Main Results:
- Only 30% of children continued using the FT 40 system at 48 months, with common reasons for discontinuation including cosmetic concerns and cochlear implantation.
- Initial aided soundfield thresholds with the FT 40 were significantly better than with conventional hearing aids at multiple frequencies.
- A small subgroup of children, younger at fitting and predominantly oral communicators with identified aetiologies, demonstrated better outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The Transonic FT 40 system has limited long-term adoption in this cohort of children with profound hearing loss.
- A specific subgroup of pediatric hearing aid users may benefit from frequency transposition technology.
- Further research is needed to refine fitting criteria and outcome measures for frequency transposition hearing systems in children.
Abstract:
The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the use of the frequency transposition Transonic FT 40 system in a group of 36 children with profound sensorineural hearing loss. The group comprised 36 children (11 boys, 25 girls) aged between 2.8 and 15.6 years (mean 7.6 years) at fitting of the FT 40 device. At 48 months post-FT 40 fitting, only 11 children (30%) were still wearing the device. The children discontinued wearing the FT 40 for the following reasons: ergonomic (11%); no perceived benefit from the system (11%); cosmetic (17%); and subsequent cochlear implantation (30%). The performance of the long-term FT 40 users was investigated using the following outcome measures: aided soundfield hearing thresholds: closed set speech tests (the E2L toy test and the Manchester Picture Test discrimination test) and a speech intelligibility rating score. The 11 long-term FT 40 users (three boys, eight girls) were aged from 5.3 to 12.9 years (mean 7.2 years) at the time of initial fitting of the FT 40 device. At time of fitting, the aided soundfield thresholds with the FT 40 were significantly better at 500 Hz (p<0.04), 1 kHz (p<0.019), 2 kHz (p<0.001) and 4 kHz (p <0.001) compared to thresholds with conventional hearing aids. Six of 11 children did not show any change in performance on the closed set speech tests and two children had intelligible speech at 48 months' follow-up. A small subgroup of good performers was identified. These children were younger at age of fitting (mean 6.2 years compared to a mean of 7.7 years for the remainder of the group), were predominantly oral communicators and had identified aetiologies for their deafness. The present study suggests that there is a small subgroup of hearing-impaired children who benefit from frequency transposition hearing systems, and future suggested fitting criteria and outcome measures are listed.