Directional Audiometry: V. The Influence of Azimuth on the Perception of Speech in Patients with Monaural Hearing Loss treated with Hearing Aids (CROS)

Abstract

Severe monaural hearing loss up to unilateral deafness cannot be treated with an ordinary hearing aid on the ear concerned. A microphone, however, can be placed in the vicinity of the bad ear and the sound transmitted to the external auditory canal of the good ear. This form of hearing aid treatment is called, in the literature, “Contralateral Routing of Signals”, CROS. The present investigation shows that such treatment may be advantageous. Nevertheless, under certain conditions, the treatment may lead to the comprehension of speech being worse than without an apparatus. Individual evaluation of the hearing problems of such patients is essential when considering whether treatment with CROS is to be recommended.