Investigation of correlation between dichotic listening performance and speech in noise perception with hearing aid outcomes in the elderly

Abstract Background and purpose: Presbycusis, which occurs both in peripheral and central forms, is one of the most common disorders in the elderly. Presbycusis is generally characterized by decreased auditory sensitivity, poor speech comprehension and decreased speech recognition in noisy environments. This disease is also associated with a decrease of more than 20% of a person’s maximum speech perception in the presence of a competitive signal compared to silence. The inability of the central auditory systems of elderly hearing aid users to decode sounds, especially in the presence of peripheral hearing loss, can affect hearing aid outcomes. This study investigates the correlation between assessments related to auditory processing and hearing aid outcomes. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed on 39 elderly hearing aid users in two groups: behind-the-ear (BTE; n = 23) and in-the-ear (n = 16) hearing aid users. After pure tone audiometry, patients who met the inclusion criteria underwent assessments related to the central auditory system, including double dichotic digit (DDT) and quick noise speech (Q-SIN) tests. Then, the correlation between the tests and hearing aid outcomes was evaluated based on the international outcome inventory (IOI-HA), a comprehensive assessment of the outcomes in different aspects. Results: In the BTE and in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid users, there was a significant correlation between DDT scores in the right ear (r = 0.60, 0.52) left ear (r = 0.43, 0.54), speech-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss (r = −0.50, −0.58) and IOI-HA questionnaire scores respectively. The stepwise regression analysis results indicated that unlike other variables such as age or peripheral hearing loss, the Q-SIN was the only variable that significantly (p < 0.001) participated in IOI-HA prediction with a correlation coefficient of 0.504, which simulates the conditions most closely related to hearing aid inefficiency and patient dissatisfaction. Conclusions: The Q-SIN test could be used partially to predict the outcomes of hearing aid use.