Background: The Baha implant is increasingly becoming a common form of treatment for individuals
with single-sided deafness (SSD). However, evidence-based guidelines for determining
candidacy in these patients are not yet established.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of speech-in-noise
testing as a part of the preoperative evaluation of the Baha device in patients with
SSD.
Research Design: The study design was a prospective cohort of 24 English-speaking adults comparing
preoperative results on speech-in-noise measures using the Baha Cordelle II headband
stimulator to postoperative results using the patient's external Baha processor.
Intervention: Outcome measures included signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss as measured by the QuickSIN™
and scores of self-reported disability questionnaires.
Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank test resulted in no significant difference between the preoperative
and postoperative methods for measuring benefit on listening in noise tasks. Passing
Bablok regression analysis showed the preoperative and postoperative results to be
statistically equivalent, which suggests that postoperative results can be predicted
during preoperative testing. Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed significant improvements
in self-reported disability postoperatively.
Conclusions: The results support the use of speech-in-noise measures as an accurate predictor
of overall benefit in patients with SSD prior to implantation.
Key Words
Baha - bone-anchored - QuickSIN - single-sided deafness - speech-in-noise - unilateral
hearing loss
