Speech discrimination impairment of the worse-hearing ear in asymmetric hearing loss

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to compare the difference in maximum speech discrimination score (SDSmax) of the worse-hearing ear in asymmetric hearing loss (ASHL) patients with that in symmetric hearing loss (SHL) patients. Design We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with suspected hearing loss (HL) who underwent audiometric examinations. Patients were divided into two groups according to the difference in air conduction (AC) threshold between the right and left ears: the SHL group and the ASHL group. Study sample Of the 102 patients (204 ears), 74 (148 ears) had SHL, and 28 had ASHL. Results The worse-hearing ear of ASHL patients exhibited a statistically significantly higher AC threshold and lower SDSmax, compared with ears of SHL patients and better-hearing ears of ASHL patients, and SDSmax exhibited a statistically significant negative correlation with AC threshold. The SDSmax was statistically significantly lower in the worse-hearing ear of the ASHL group than in moderate to severe HL ears of the SHL group, even though these groups had comparable AC thresholds. Conclusions ASHL patients’ worse-hearing ear exhibited a lower SDSmax than SHL patients’ ears, despite a comparable AC threshold. Management of hearing impairment in ASHL patients should receive more attention.