Do you hear the noise? The German matrix sentence test with a fixed noise level in subjects with normal hearing and hearing impairment.

Do you hear the noise? The German matrix sentence test with a fixed noise level in subjects with normal hearing and hearing impairment.

Int J Audiol. 2015 Nov 10;:1-9

Authors: Wardenga N, Batsoulis C, Wagener KC, Brand T, Lenarz T, Maier H

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between hearing loss and speech reception threshold (SRT) in a fixed noise condition using the German Oldenburg sentence test (OLSA).
DESIGN: After training with two easily-audible lists of the OLSA, SRTs were determined monaurally with headphones at a fixed noise level of 65 dB SPL using a standard adaptive procedure, converging to 50% speech intelligibility.
STUDY SAMPLE: Data was obtained from 315 ears of 177 subjects with hearing losses ranging from - 5 to 90 dB HL pure-tone average (PTA, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 kHz).
RESULTS: Two domains were identified with a linear dependence of SRT on PTA. The SRT increased with a slope of 0.094 ± 0.006 dB SNR/dB HL (standard deviation (SD) of residuals = 1.17 dB) for PTAs < 47 dB HL and with a slope of 0.811 ± 0.049 dB SNR/dB HL (SD of residuals = 5.54 dB) for higher PTAs.
CONCLUSION: The OLSA can be applied to subjects with a wide range of hearing losses. With 65 dB SPL fixed noise presentation level the SRT is determined by listening in noise for PTAs < ∼47 dB HL, and above it is determined by listening in quiet.

PMID: 26555195 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from #ENT-PubMed via ola Kala on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1HCkcAZ
via IFTTT