Comparison of sound perception using CIS and ACE sound coding strategies in cochlear implants

Abstract

Objectives to study the effect of ACE and CIS sound coding strategies on sound perception in patients with the cochlear implants system produced by Cochlear Limited. Material and methods. The study included 50 patients taking the rehabilitation course in the Astrakhan branch of the National Medical Research Center for Otorhinolaryngology of the Federal Medico-Biological Agency over the past 5 years (from 2014 to 2019). The group of subjects included children over 7 years old and adults, whose success in rehabilitation made it possible to perform a full range of tests. The patients underwent tonal threshold audiometry and speech audiometry in a free sound field; the results obtained were registered in special MS Excel tables and further analysed using statistical methods. Results. There were no statistically significant differences in hearing thresholds on tonal audiometry when using the coding strategies ACE and CIS, however, differences in speech perception were observed on average by 4.2%. The patients experienced in using hearing aids reported improved speech recognition, with scores varying within 5%. Conclusion. Using a higher-resolution coding strategy can significantly improve speech recognition, while lower-resolution coding is beneficial for patients with digital hearing aid experience.