Perda auditiva unilateral: benefício da localização auditiva após adaptação de aparelho de amplificação sonora individual

Abstract

Introduction:A unilateral hearing loss is characterized by decreased hearing in one ear. Objective:To evaluate the benefit on the location after hearing the adaptation of hearing aids Individual (HA) in individuals with unilateral hearing loss. Method:A prospective study of 31 individuals aged between 18 and 75 years and both genders with unilateral hearing loss of various types and grades, answered a questionnaire to evaluate the location of the sound source, by using the "Survey of hearing ability of the location of the sound source." The instrument was applied in two situations: without the use of HA and the use of hearing aids. Results:Patients with mild hearing loss and received a moderate score of 3.35 with use of hearing aids and hearing loss, severe and profound absence of an improvement of 3.05 1.39 and 1.38 respectively. Conclusion:Benefits were obtained with the use of hearing aids on the auditory localization in subjects with unilateral hearing loss, emphasizing the importance of the use of amplification.

Unilateral hearing loss: benefit of amplification in sound localization, temporal ordering and resolution

“…The benefit with the use of HAs for the ability of sonorous localization, as verified in the present study, emphasizes the importance of using questionnaires as subjective tools of investigation to ascertain the improvement of hearing abilities in the period of HA adaptation (11) .…”

“…The central auditory system has the capacity to reorganize after an injury, suggesting that hearing loss adaptation may stimulate auditory plasticity (8) . The importance of binaural hearing has been emphasized, thus supporting the indication of HAs for UHL (9)(10)(11) . The benefits of binaural hearing are widely advocated since listening with both ears improves speech comprehension in environments where there is competitive noise or reverberation, and the location of the sound source is dependent on the perception of sound simultaneously by the ears (12) .…”

“…In a study conducted by Mondelli et al (11) , it was observed that without the use of HAs there was a difficulty in locating for individuals with UHL. After the use of amplification, for a minimum period of six months, there was a significant improvement, regardless of the type or degree of hearing loss.…”

“…The LDHQ (14) translated into Portuguese (11) was applied, which, although not validated, makes it possible to investigate the patient's perception of the possible difficulties imposed by UHL. It consists of 14 questions about locating the sound source in activities of daily living with four choices of answers: "never", "sometimes", "usually" and "always".…”

Perda auditiva unilateral: benefício da amplificação na ordenação e resolução temporal e localização sonora

“…Em estudo realizado por Mondelli et al (2010) PENHUNE et al, 1996;ZATORRE;BELIN, 2001), o que permite um melhor desempenho para os indivíduos usuários de AASI à direita. O mesmo não ocorre em estudo realizado por Vieira (2010), no qual não houve diferença entre as orelhas direita e esquerda.…”