Programming the cochlear implant based on electrical acoustic reflex thresholds: patient performance

The electrical acoustic reflex threshold (EART) has been shown to be a reliable estimate of behavioral comfort levels in both child and adult cochlear implant patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for using EARTs for programming the Nucleus cochlear implant. EARTs and behavioral comfort levels were obtained from 7 adult implant patients. Two programs or "maps" were made for each patient, one based on behavioral comfort levels and one based on EARTs. Performance on open set tests of speech recognition was measured with each map. Mean data suggest that speech perception is similar with both maps. Analysis of individual data revealed that, whereas 2 subjects performed better with the C-level maps, the remaining 5 subjects tended to perform either better with the EART map or equally well with both maps. These results suggest that EARTs may be an adequate substitute for comfort levels when programming the implant for patients who are unable to make reliable psychophysical judgments.