Speech perception in noise with implant and hearing aid.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the perception of speech in quiet and in noise by adults using a cochlear implant on its own or a cochlear implant and hearing aid together. STUDY DESIGN: Repeated measures. SETTING: Laboratory study using subjects' own speech processors. PATIENTS: Two groups of cochlear implant users (Australian and American) with some residual hearing in the non-implanted ear (pure tone average thresholds at 500 Hz, 1 kHz, and 2 kHz of 75-112 dB HL). INTERVENTION(S): Conventional hearing aid and cochlear implant in opposite ears. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Speech perception was evaluated using recorded lists of CUNY sentences and lists of CNC words in quiet and in background noise. RESULTS: Speech scores were significantly higher with implant and hearing aid together compared to implant alone. The binaural advantage was greater in background noise than it was in quiet for CUNY sentences in the American listeners. CONCLUSION: Severely-to-profoundly hearing impaired adults may benefit from combined fitting of implants and conventional hearing aids in opposite ears.