Supplementary Material for: The Effect of Bimodal Hearing on Post-Operative Quality of Life

Introduction: To examine how bimodal stimulation affects quality of life (QOL) during the post operative period following cochlear implantation (CI). This data could potentially provide evidence to encourage more bimodal candidates to continue hearing aid (HA) use after CI.

Methods: In this prospective study, patients completed preoperative, and 1-, 3- and 6-months post-activation QOL surveys on listening effort, speech perception, sound quality/localization, and hearing handicap. 15 HA users who were candidates for contralateral CI completed the study (mean age 65.6 years).

Results: Patients used both devices a median rate of 97%, 97% and 98% of the time at 1, 3, and 6 months respectively. On average, patients’ hearing handicap score decreased by 16% at 1 month, 36% at 3 months, and 30% at 6 months. Patients’ listening effort scores decreased by a mean of 10.8% at 1 month, 12.6% at 3 months and 18.7% at 6 months. Localization improved by 24.3% at 1 month and remained steady. There was no significant improvement in sound quality scores.

Conclusion: Bimodal listeners should expect QOL to improve, and listening effort and localization is generally optimized using CI and HA compared to CI alone. Some scores improved at earlier time points than others, suggesting bimodal auditory skills may develop at different rates.

引言：本研究旨在探讨双模式刺激（bimodal stimulation）对人工耳蜗植入（cochlear implantation, CI）术后患者生活质量（quality of life, QOL）的影响，相关数据可为鼓励更多双模式适配候选者在人工耳蜗植入后继续使用助听器（hearing aid, HA）提供依据。

方法：本研究为前瞻性研究，受试者分别于术前、人工耳蜗开机后1、3、6个月完成生活质量问卷调查，调研内容涵盖倾听努力、言语识别、声音质量/声源定位及听力障碍情况。最终共15名拟行对侧人工耳蜗植入的助听器使用者完成全部研究流程，受试者平均年龄为65.6岁。

结果：受试者在术后1、3、6个月时，双模式设备（人工耳蜗与助听器）的中位使用时长占比分别为97%、97%与98%。总体而言，受试者的听力障碍评分在术后1个月下降16%，3个月下降36%，6个月下降30%；倾听努力评分分别平均下降10.8%、12.6%与18.7%。声源定位能力在术后1个月提升24.3%，并维持稳定水平；但声音质量评分未出现显著改善。

结论：双模式听觉使用者可预期其生活质量得到改善，相较于仅使用人工耳蜗的情况，联合使用人工耳蜗与助听器可整体优化倾听努力与声源定位能力。部分评分在更早的随访时间点即出现改善，提示双模式听觉技能的习得速率存在差异。