Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Sound Source Localization Testing in Single-sided Deafness Following Bone Conduction Intervention
Published on: December 20, 2024
Sound Localization in Patients With Congenital Unilateral Conductive Hearing Loss With a Transcutaneous Bone
Erich Vyskocil1, Rudolfs Liepins, Alexandra Kaider
1*Department of Otorhinolaryngology †Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics, and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Objective:
There is no consensus regarding the benefit of implantable hearing aids in congenital unilateral conductive hearing loss (UCHL). This study aimed to measure sound source localization performance in patients with congenital UCHL and contralateral normal hearing who received a new bone conduction implant.
Study Design:
Evaluation of within-subject performance differences for sound source localization in a horizontal plane.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Patients:
Five patients with atresia of the external auditory canal and contralateral normal hearing implanted with transcutaneous bone conduction implant at the Medical University of Vienna were tested.
Intervention:
Activated/deactivated implant.
Main Outcome Measure:
Sound source localization test; localization performance quantified using the root mean square (RMS) error.
Results:
Sound source localization ability was highly variable among individual subjects, with RMS errors ranging from 21 to 40 degrees. Horizontal plane localization performance in aided conditions showed statistically significant improvement compared with the unaided conditions, with RMS errors ranging from 17 to 27 degrees. The mean RMS error decreased by a factor of 0.71 (p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Analysis revealed improved sound localization performance in a horizontal plane with the activated transcutaneous bone conduction implant. Some patients with congenital UCHL might be capable of developing improved horizontal plane localization abilities with the binaural cues provided by this device.
More Related Videos
06:27Simple Surgical Induction of Conductive Hearing Loss with Verification Using Otoscope Visualization and Behavioral Clap Startle Response in Rat
Published on: October 26, 2019
06:54Author Spotlight: Advancements in Impedance Monitoring for Cochlear Implant Surgery
Published on: August 4, 2023
