Cochlear implants, vibrators and hearing aids in the rehabilitation of postlingual deafness

Three groups of postlingually deaf adults were formed by non-random selection. The subjects with some residual hearing were fitted with a powerful hearing aid (HA group, n = 10). The others received either a single-channel vibrotactile aid (V group, n = 8) or a single-channel intracochlear implant (CI group, n = 10). Training containing individual counselling and rehearsal in small groups was arranged. During the follow-up (CI group 2.0 yrs, V group 1.8 yrs, HA group 2.6 yrs), the subject's achievement was assessed by a repetition of audiological testing and written questionnaires. Whereas the HA group obtained the highest scores in the audiological tests, the CI group found the implant most beneficial in everyday life. No significant improvement in the test scores was observed during the follow-up. The extent of personal training, after an initial training period and motivation of the user, did not affect the test scores or the subjective evaluation.