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One way to improve speech understanding in noise for HI with a unilateral hearing loss is by contralateral routing of signals (CROS). Such a CROS-system captures sounds with an additional microphone at the worst hearing ear and transmits these to the better one. The better ear is then provided with a mix of signals originating from both ears. The goal of this study is to quantify the effect of a CROS-system on speech reception thresholds (SRTs) with unilaterally implanted CI-users in diffuse and directional noise as a function of speaker location. Listening tests are performed and an accurate directional intelligibly model is proposed used for further analysis. In diffuse noise it is concluded that the use of a CROS system results in a maximum gain in SRT of 7.9 dB when speech comes from the CROS side compared to a maximum loss in SRT of 2.1 dB when speech comes from the implanted side. In the case of directional noise, the effect of the CROS is symmetric and the maximum loss or gain in SRT was around 9 dB. The study therefore shows a clear potential of using the CROS system in diffuse noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a patent which describes methods and systems for acoustically controlling a cochlear implant system.

The article offers information on a patent which describes a first sound processing unit for a prosthetic hearing implant.

The article offers information on a patent for a microphone coupled to the cochlear implant portion of an electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS) system.

The article reviews a U.S. patent for cochlear implant stimulation with low frequency channel privilege owned by Peter Schleich et al., assignors to medical device company MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH.

The article reviews a U.S. patent for an energy saving silent mode for hearing implant systems owned by Martin Stoffaneller and Martin J. Kerber, assignors to medical device company MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geraete GmbH.