Effects of FM system fitted into the normal hearing ear or cartilage conduction hearing aid fitted into the affected ear on speech-in-noise recognition in Japanese children with unilateral congenital aural atresia

The effects of FM system fitted into the normal hearing ear (NHE) or a cartilage conduction hearing aid (CCHA) fitted into the affected ear (AE) on the speech recognition ability in noise were examined in children with unilateral congenital aural atresia (UCAA). In children with bilateral normal hearing (BNH), speech recognition score (SRS) was significantly decreased in the noisy environment of -5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), compared with those in quiet. In children with UCAA, SRS was significantly decreased in noisy environments of 0 and -5 dB SNR, compared with those in quiet. In noisy environments of 0 and -5 dB SNR, SRS in children with UCAA was significantly decreased, compared those in children with BNH. In the noisy environment of -5 dB SNR, SRS in UCAA children aided by FM system fitted into NHE was significantly better than those in unaided children in the same group. In the noisy environment of 0 dB SNR, SRS in UCAA children aided by CCHA into AE tended to be higher than those in unaided children in the same group. FM system and CCHA can be recommended as an audiological management for the improvement of speech recognition in children with UCHL in classrooms.

内容要旨・審査要旨・論文本文の公開
本論文は, 著者Yuki Sakamotoの学位論文として提出され, 学位審査・授与の対象となっている。