Data from: Long term use benefits of personal frequency-modulated systems for speech in noise perception in stroke patients with auditory processing deficits: a non randomised controlled trial study

Objectives: Approximately one in five stroke survivors suffer from difficulties with speech reception in noise, despite normal audiometry. These deficits are treatable with personal Frequency Modulated systems (FMs). This study aimed to evaluate long term benefits in speech reception in noise, after daily 10 week use of personal FMs, in non-aphasic stroke patients with auditory processing deficits.
Design: This was a prospective non randomised controlled trial study. Patients were allocated to an intervention care group or standard care subjects group according to their willingness to use the intervention or not.
Setting: Tertiary care setting.
Participants: Nine non-aphasic subjects with ischemic stroke, normal/near normal audiometry, and auditory processing deficits and with reported difficulties understanding speech in background noise were recruited in the subacute stroke stage (3-12 months after stroke).
Interventions: Four patients (intervention care subjects) used the FMs in their daily life over 10 weeks. Five patients (standard care subjects) received standard care.
Primary outcome measures: All subjects were tested at baseline (visit 1) and 10 weeks later (visit 2) on a sentences in noise test with the FMs (aided) and without the FMs (unaided).
Results: Speech reception thresholds showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in intervention but not in standard care subjects at 10 weeks in both aided and unaided conditions.
Conclusions: 10 week use of FM systems by adult stroke patients may lead to benefits in unaided speech in noise perception. Our findings may indicate auditory plasticity type changes and require further investigation.

研究目的：约五分之一的中风幸存者即便纯音测听（audiometry）结果正常，仍存在噪声下言语识别困难。此类缺陷可通过个人调频系统（Frequency Modulated systems，FMs）进行干预治疗。本研究旨在评估非失语性伴听觉加工缺陷的中风患者，每日使用个人调频系统共10周后，在噪声下言语识别能力方面获得的长期获益。
研究设计：本研究为一项前瞻性非随机对照试验。受试者根据自身是否愿意接受干预措施，被分为干预护理组与常规护理组。
研究场景：三级医疗护理场景。
研究对象：招募了9名处于亚急性中风阶段（中风后3~12个月）的非失语性缺血性中风受试者，其纯音测听结果正常或接近正常，存在听觉加工缺陷，且自述在背景噪声下理解言语存在困难。
干预措施：4名受试者（干预护理组）在10周的日常使用中佩戴调频系统，剩余5名受试者（常规护理组）仅接受常规护理。
主要结局指标：所有受试者均在基线（首次访视）与10周后（第二次访视）分别接受噪声下语句识别测试，测试分为佩戴调频系统（助听条件）与不佩戴调频系统（未助听条件）两种场景。
研究结果：在干预护理组中，无论是助听还是未助听条件下，受试者的言语识别阈值在10周后均出现了具有临床意义与统计学意义的改善；而常规护理组未出现此类变化。
研究结论：成年中风患者每日使用调频系统共10周，或可提升未助听状态下的噪声下言语识别能力。本研究结果提示可能存在听觉可塑性相关的改变，有待进一步深入研究。