Hanyang Med Rev.  2015 May;35(2):97-102. 10.7599/hmr.2015.35.2.97.

Rehabilitation of Sensorineural Hearing Loss: Hearing Aid

• Chung JH

• KMID: 1793738
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2015.35.2.97

Abstract

Social concerns about sensorineural hearing loss have been increasing with the advent of an aging society. As most hearing loss is incurable and permanent, audiologic rehabilitation is the only option for restoring hearing. Sensorineural hearing loss includes both sensory loss of the cochlea and functional loss of the 8th cranial nerve. Because sensorineural hearing loss patients often have difficulty in understanding and locating specific sounds amidst the other ambient noise, functional amplification with hearing aids in sensorineural hearing loss is challenging work. By applying digital signal processing techniques to hearing aids, hearing rehabilitation has undergone remarkable development in recent years. Herein, the basic concepts underlying digital signal processing are reviewed briefly, followed by a short historical background of hearing aid development. The principles of hearing aid selection, counselling, frequent problems encountered in hearing aid fitting and validation are also discussed.

Keyword

Hearing Aids; Hearing Loss; Rehabilitation

MeSH Terms

Aging
Cochlea
Correction of Hearing Impairment
Cranial Nerves
Hearing
Hearing Aids*
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural*
Humans
Noise
Rehabilitation*
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Diagram of digital hearing aid. ADC, analog digital converter; DSP, digital signal processor; DAC, digital analog converter.

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  Fig. 2 Classification of hearing aid type (courtesy of Oticon, Inc., Somerset, NJ). CIC, complete in the canal; ITC, in the canal; ITE, in the ear; BTE, behind the ear; RIC, receiver in the canal.

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