PP803 - Inclusion of Female Voice in CNC Testing for Cochlear Implants

Posters

Location: Halls 4EF

Lead Presenter(s)

Kayli Silverstein, BA

Audiology Extern
Mayo Clinic
Wayne State University

Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.

PDF Slides

Presenter(s)

Megan J. Dorfler, MA (she/her/hers)

Audiology Extern
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant financial relationships with anything to disclose.
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.
AS

Aniket Saoji, Director, Cochlear Implants (he/him/his)

Mayo Clinic

Disclosure(s): Cochlear: Consultant/Advisory Board (Ongoing), Research Grant (includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received) (Ongoing); Envoy Medical: Consultant/Advisory Board (Ongoing), Research Grant (includes principal investigator, collaborator or consultant and pending grants as well as grants already received) (Ongoing)

Abstract
The process of determining cochlear implant (CI) candidacy and tracking progress is primarily assessed through speech perception testing. Current speech perception test batteries include both single-word and whole-sentence stimuli, with the most widely used single-word measure being the Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word list, typically recorded with a male voice. This pilot study explored the impact of speech perception performance in CI candidates and recipients using a female-voiced stimulus compared to the traditional male-voiced stimulus.

Summary
Objective
Speech perception abilities in potential and existing cochlear implant patients are commonly evaluated using recorded male-voiced single-word stimuli. Patients hear CNC word lists presented through a loudspeaker and are asked to repeat the words. Correct responses require accurate identification of all three sounds (consonant, vowel, consonant). This study aimed to explore the impact of using female-voiced stimuli on speech perception performance in comparison to the traditionally used male-voiced stimuli.

Design
Ten participants, aged 18 years and older, who were either cochlear implant users or hearing aid users and fluent in spoken and written English, underwent pre- and post-operative speech perception testing. Both male and female voiced CNC word lists were used during testing.

Results
Pre-operative speech perception testing with male-voiced CNC stimuli produced high baseline scores across participants. Post-operative testing revealed greater improvement in speech perception scores when female-voiced stimuli were used compared to male-voiced stimuli.

Conclusion
The study indicates that incorporating both female and male-voiced CNC word lists provides valuable insights when assessing speech perception in cochlear implant patients. The use of female-voiced stimuli may offer additional benefits in tracking speech perception progress, particularly in post-operative evaluations.

Learning Objectives:

After this course, participants will analyze how variability across stimuli presented for cochlear implant testing can impact outcomes and clinical decision making.