Speech Audiometry in Quiet and in Noise
Table 2 depicts the speech intelligibility results of the free-field
Freiburg monosyllables word test in quiet at 65 dB SPL and in noise at 5
dB SNR, for the unaided situation and the aided situations using the
ADHEAR system and the BAHA 5 Power system. The mean speech
intelligibility score in the unaided situation in quiet was 33.0 ±
36.1%, which is significantly lower than using a softband BAHA system
65 ± 32.5 % or the ADHEAR system 51.5 ± 32.4 % (all p’s <
0.05). In terms of the speech intelligibility test in noise under
S0N0 condition, the mean thresholds of
the unaided situation at 65 dB SPL were 17.4 ± 23.4%. Using a softband
BAHA system (32.0 ± 29.2%), the mean thresholds in noise were
significantly improved compared to the unaided situation (all p’s
< 0.05). Using the ADHEAR system, the mean threshold (30.4 ±
28.0%) was highly significantly improved compared to the unaided
situation (p < 0.001).
Figs 2A and B depict the speech intelligibility scores of the 23 ADHEAR
patients (see Fig. 1) for the unaided situation and the aided situation
in quiet at 65 dB SPL and in noise at 5 dB SNR, respectively. In quiet,
significant differences were found in patients outside the ADHEAR
indication criterion (BC PTA4 > 25 dB HL) (p <
0.05; see Fig. 2A). In noise, significant differences were found in both
within and outside the indication criterion of the ADHEAR system (all
p’s < 0.05). Figs 3A and B depict the speech intelligibility
scores of the 10 ADHEAR & BAHA 5 Power patients (see Fig. 1) for the
unaided situation and the aided situations in quiet and in noise,
respectively.