The French MBAA2 sentence recognition in noise test for cochlear implant users

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-language pathology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• The Marginal Benefit from Acoustic Amplification version 2 (MBAA2) sentence test has been a standard in France for 20 years for evaluating cochlear implant (CI) users.
• Existing evaluations highlight the need for robust and reliable speech recognition testing in noise for CI recipients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize and validate the MBAA2 sentence test.
• To compare the performance of the MBAA2 test with the French matrix sentence test.
• To assess the test-retest reliability and list equivalence of the MBAA2.

Main Methods:

• Developed an analytic method to determine speech recognition threshold in noise (SNR50) from fixed signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs).
• Measured speech recognition at various fixed SNRs in 18 normal-hearing and 15 CI listeners.
• Assessed test-retest reliability in 15 CI listeners and evaluated list equivalence in 8 CI listeners.

Main Results:

• The MBAA2 test yielded lower SNR50s and successfully tested more CI listeners compared to the French matrix test.
• The MBAA2 demonstrated high test-retest reliability in CI listeners, with a standard deviation of approximately 1 dB SNR.
• Identified three lists with deviant difficulty and nine lists with low item-to-total correlations.

Conclusions:

• Reducing the number of MBAA2 test lists is proposed to minimize variability.
• The MBAA2 test exhibits excellent test-retest reliability for both percent correct and SNR50.
• The MBAA2 is confirmed as a suitable and reliable tool for assessing cochlear implant patients.