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Influence of single-sided deafness on the auditory capacity of the better ear

Einfluss einseitiger Taubheit auf das Hörvermögen des besseren Ohrs

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Abstract

Background

Patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) are limited by their asymmetric hearing in various areas of everyday life.

Objective

The aim of this investigation was to perform an age-correlated comparison of the hearing threshold of the better ear of SSD patients with a normal-hearing (NH) reference cohort. In addition, the potential influence of etiology, duration of deafness, and cochlear implantation (CI) of the poorer ear on the peripheral hearing ability of the better ear was investigated.

Materials and methods

In a multicenter study, the mean bone conduction hearing threshold of the better ear of 413 adult SSD patients was compared with that of an NH cohort drawn from ISO 7029:2017 for the frequencies 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz.

Results

SSD patients showed significantly poorer hearing in the better ear compared to the age-correlated group of NH subjects. CI, duration of deafness, and etiology had no significant effect on the hearing ability of the better ear.

Conclusion

The origin of the poorer hearing of the better-hearing ear of SSD patients compared to an age-correlated NH cohort is still unclear. It is most likely a combination of different anatomical, immunological, etiological, and microcirculatory causes, which lead to poorer hearing of the better-hearing ear in SSD patients.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Förderverein Taube Kinder lernen Hören e. V. Freiburg for the financial support of our research work. Special thanks also are due to Dr. E. Kludt, who compiled the retrospective data at the ENT Clinic of the Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover and to Dr. S. Schmidt at the Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Koblenz for her support in the revision of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Killianstr. 5, 79110, Freiburg, Germany

    S. Arndt, T. Wesarg, M. C. Ketterer, A. Aschendorff & I. Speck

  2. Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Central Army Hospital Koblenz, Ruebenacher Str. 170, 56072, Koblenz, Germany

    Y. Stelzig & R. Jacob

  3. Dept. of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University Hannover, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    A. Illg & A. Lesinski-Schiedat

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  1. S. Arndt
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  2. T. Wesarg
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  3. Y. Stelzig
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  4. R. Jacob
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  5. A. Illg
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  6. A. Lesinski-Schiedat
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  7. M. C. Ketterer
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  8. A. Aschendorff
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  9. I. Speck
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Arndt.

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Conflict of interest

S. Arndt reports the following: Advanced Bionics: travel cost reimbursement, financial support for research; Cochlear: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; MED-EL: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; Oticon Medical: travel cost reimbursement. T. Wesarg reports the following: Advanced Bionics: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; Cochlear: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; MED-EL: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; Phonak Communications: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; Oticon Medical: travel cost reimbursement. A. Aschendorff reports the following: Advanced Bionics: financial support for research, Medical Advisory Board, travel cost reimbursement; Cochlear: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; MED-EL: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement; Oticon Medical: financial support for research, travel cost reimbursement. Y. Stelzig, R. Jacob, A. Illg, A. Lesinski-Schiedat, M.C. Ketterer and I. Speck declare that they have no competing interests.

The present study was performed with approval of the Ethics Commission Freiburg (No. 381/18) for the Universitätsklinikum Freiburg and Bundeswehrkrankenhaus Koblenz and the Ethics Commission Hannover (No. 1897-2013) for the Medizinische Hochschule Hannover in compliance with national law and the Declaration of Helsinki of 2013 (in the current, revised edition) (DRKS00015740).

The supplement containing this article is not sponsored by industry.

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Arndt, S., Wesarg, T., Stelzig, Y. et al. Influence of single-sided deafness on the auditory capacity of the better ear. HNO 68 (Suppl 1), 17–24 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00106-019-00739-6

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