ABA Cochlear Implants & Implantable Hearing Devices 3

Question 1

Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA/OSIA) are most appropriate for which type of hearing loss?

Accepted Answer

Conductive or mixed hearing loss, or single-sided deafness

Answer

Bone-anchored devices transmit sound directly through the skull to the cochlea via bone conduction, making them ideal for conductive/mixed loss or single-sided deafness where air conduction is insufficient.

Question 2

During the cochlear implant evaluation process, which professional is typically responsible for device programming (mapping)?

Accepted Answer

Audiologist certified in CI programming

Answer

A certified audiologist specializing in cochlear implants performs the programming (mapping) sessions, setting T-levels, C-levels, and adjusting processing parameters to optimize the patient's hearing experience.

Question 3

What is 'residual hearing preservation' in the context of contemporary cochlear implantation?

Accepted Answer

Using surgical techniques and electrode designs that minimize cochlear trauma to preserve low-frequency acoustic hearing post-implant

Answer

Residual hearing preservation involves atraumatic surgical technique and flexible 'soft' electrode arrays to maintain low-frequency hearing, enabling 'electric-acoustic stimulation' (EAS/hybrid) after implantation.

Question 4

The primary reason cochlear implant electrodes are designed to be placed as close as possible to the modiolus (perimodiolar design) is to:

Accepted Answer

Reduce current spread and improve frequency selectivity by being closer to the spiral ganglion neurons

Answer

Perimodiolar electrodes are positioned closer to the spiral ganglion neurons, reducing the current required for stimulation and improving channel selectivity, which can enhance speech perception.

Question 5

Which outcome measure is most commonly used to assess speech perception benefit in adult cochlear implant recipients in the United States?

Accepted Answer

Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant (CNC) word recognition in quiet

Answer

CNC monosyllabic word recognition in quiet is the standard FDA-approved outcome measure used to assess post-implant speech perception benefit in adult CI recipients.

(ABA) American Board of Audiology Practice Test

(ABA) American Board of Audiology Practice Test

ABA Cochlear Implants & Implantable Hearing Devices 3