IMPLANTUL COHLEAR BINAURAL – OPŢIUNE AVANTAJOASĂ ÎN TRATAMENTUL SURDITĂŢII PROFUNDE NEURO-SENZORIALE

Nowadays, cochelar implant is the only choice of treatment in deep bilateral deafness. Aim: To evaluate the benefits of binaural implantation of a single receiver-stimulator device by using audiometric tests at 3 and 6 months intervals. Material and methods: The study included 3 patients with bilateral sensorineural deafness of cochlear origin. Following implantation they were assessed by pu-re tone audiometry (PTA), speech audiometry (SA), and sound localization tests (LT). Results: PTA showed a significant decrease in hearing thresholds level during the 6-month interval following implantation. As to the degree of speech discrimination in both quiet and noisy environment, SA showed evident progress at 6 months compared to the results at 3 month. The location tests revealed improved sound localization in both ears at 6 months compared to the results at 3 months. Conclusions: Compared to unilateral implant, the binaural cochlear implant has the advantage of stereophonic hearing, facilitating the communication through a better understanding of speech in both quiet and noisy environment, and improving the quality of life by the location of sounds similar to natural hearing.