Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol.  2015 Sep;8(3):189-193. 10.3342/ceo.2015.8.3.189.

Factors Affecting the Variation of Maximum Speech Intelligibility in Patients With Sensorineural Hearing Loss Other Than Apparent Retrocochlear Lesions

• Yahata I
• Kawase T
• Miyazaki H
• Takata Y
• Yamauchi D
• Nomura K
• Katori Y

• KMID: 2117509
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3342/ceo.2015.8.3.189

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To examine the relationship between speech intelligibilities among the similar level of hearing loss and threshold elevation of the auditory brainstem response (ABR).
METHODS
The relationship between maximum speech intelligibilities among similar levels of hearing loss and relative threshold elevation of the click-evoked ABR (ABR threshold - pure tone average at 2,000 and 4,000 Hz) was retrospectively reviewed in patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) other than apparent retrocochlear lesions as auditory neuropathy, vestibular schwannoma and the other brain lesions.
RESULTS
Comparison of the speech intelligibilities in subjects with similar levels of hearing loss found that the variation in maximum speech intelligibility was significantly correlated with the threshold elevation of the ABR.
CONCLUSION
The present results appear to support the idea that variation in maximum speech intelligibility in patients with similar levels of SNHL may be related to the different degree of dysfunctions of the inner hair cells and/or cochlear nerves in addition to those of outer hair cells.

Keyword

Speech Intelligibility; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural

MeSH Terms

Brain
Cochlear Nerve
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem
Hair
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural*
Humans
Neurilemmoma
Retrospective Studies
Speech Intelligibility*
Vestibular Neuronitis

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Relationship between the four-frequency average of the pure tone air-conduction thresholds at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz (four-frequency PTA) and the maximum speech intelligibility. Significant correlation was observed between the PTA and maximum speech intelligibility (coefficients of correlation assessed by IBM SPSS ver. 21.0 are shown in the lower right). Inserted vertical dotted lines at 55 and 65 dB indicate the region in which the maximum speech intelligibilities appear to be relatively varied and further analysis was conducted as shown in Fig. 2. PTA, pure tone average; HL, hearing loss.

• 

  Fig. 2 (A) Relationship between the maximum speech intelligibility and the degree of the deterioration of ABR (threshold difference between ABR and average pure tone thresholds at 2,000 and 4,000 Hz), in 12 selected ears from 10 patients with PTA equal or greater than 55 dB and less than 65 dB (Fig. 1). Significant correlation was observable (coefficients of correlation assessed by IBM SPSS ver. 21.0 are shown in the lower right). (B) Auditory thresholds (250-4,000 Hz) of these 12 ears are presented. Auditory thresholds of 4 ears with deteriorated ABR are shown as thick lines. ABR, auditory brainstem response; DPOAE, distortion product otoacoustic emission; PTA, pure tone average; HL, hearing loss.

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