Publications by authors named "Andrea B Overton"
Objective: Review the relationship of tonotopic mismatch with the speech recognition of cochlear implant (CI) users with unilateral hearing loss (UHL; also known as single-sided deafness).
Patients: Twenty-seven adults (≥18 yr of age) with late-onset UHL.
Intervention: Cochlear implantation.
Objective: To assess the time course of speech recognition restoration for recipients of legacy devices who underwent cochlear implant revision (CIR) surgery in the presence or absence of device failure.
Study Design: Retrospective review.
Setting: Tertiary academic referral center.
Objective(s): FDA-approved indications for cochlear implantation include patients with severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss (UHL) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL); however, these indications are not covered for Medicare beneficiaries. We assessed the outcomes of cochlear implant (CI) use for older adults with UHL or AHL.
Methods: Eighteen older adults (≥65 years of age at surgery) with UHL/AHL participated in a prospective, longitudinal investigation evaluating outcomes of CI use.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on cochlear implant recipients with unilateral hearing loss who possess functional acoustic hearing in the implanted ear, evaluating the effects of electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) on their hearing abilities over time.
- Participants showed significant improvements in speech recognition scores and subjective hearing assessments when evaluated at multiple intervals post-activation (1, 3, and 6 months).
- Results indicated that adults with unilateral hearing loss and functional hearing saw notable enhancements in both objective speech recognition and subjective hearing experiences soon after starting EAS use, compared to their preoperative state.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to evaluate how effectively a research design and recruitment strategy could gather a participant sample that reflects the broader cochlear implant (CI) patient demographic.
- The participant sample (n=79) was found to be similar to the overall CI patient population (n=338) in critical demographic factors like age, sex, and socioeconomic status, indicating effective recruitment.
- However, the combined CI population showed notable differences compared to the overall North Carolina population regarding race, ethnicity, and urbanization, highlighting ongoing disparities in access to cochlear implantation.
Objective: Determine variables that influence post-activation performance for cochlear implant (CI) recipients who lost low-frequency acoustic hearing.
Methods: A retrospective review evaluated CNC word recognition for adults with normal to moderately severe low-frequency hearing (preoperative unaided thresholds of ≤70 dB HL at 250 Hz) who were implanted between 2012 and 2021 at a tertiary academic center, lost functional acoustic hearing, and were fit with a CI-alone device. Performance scores were queried from the 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24-month post-activation visits.
Incidence of Cochlear Implant Electrode Contacts in the Functional Acoustic Hearing Region and the Influence on Speech Recognition with Electric-Acoustic Stimulation.
Otol Neurotol
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- The study examined how the positioning of electrode contacts in cochlear implant recipients affects their ability to recognize speech, especially for those using electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS).
- Sixty percent of participants had electrode contacts within their functional acoustic hearing range, but this was not linked to better speech recognition in quiet settings.
- However, closer alignment between the most apical electrode contact and the upper edge of residual hearing improved speech recognition in noisy environments, indicating that electrode placement can impact outcomes for EAS users.
Hearing health care access for adult cochlear implant candidates and recipients: Travel time and socioeconomic status.
Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol
February 2023
Objectives: Access to cochlear implantation may be negatively influenced by extended travel time to a cochlear implant (CI) center or lower socioeconomic status (SES) for the individual. There is a critical need to understand the influence of these variables on patient appointment attendance for candidacy evaluations, and CI recipients' adherence to post-activation follow-up recommendations that support optimal outcomes.
Methods: A retrospective chart review of adult patients referred to a CI center in North Carolina for initial cochlear implantation candidacy evaluation between April 2017 and July 2019 was conducted.
Article Synopsis
- Cochlear implant users who preserved some hearing showed improved speech recognition when using electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS), but outcomes varied due to mismatches in frequency mapping.
- In a study, 21 participants were assigned to either default or place-based mapping procedures to assess how electric mismatches affected their speech recognition over time.
- Results indicated that participants with smaller electric mismatches performed better initially, suggesting that place-based mapping could enhance EAS outcomes, with continued research needed on long-term effects.
Purpose: Cochlear implant (CI) recipients with normal or near normal hearing (NH) in the contralateral ear, referred to as single-sided deafness (SSD), experience significantly better speech recognition in noise with their CI than without it, although reported outcomes vary. One possible explanation for differences in outcomes across studies could be differences in the spatial configurations used to assess performance. This study compared speech recognition for different spatial configurations of the target and masker, with test materials used clinically.
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