Bimodal Cochlear Implants: Measurement of the Localization Performance as a Function of Device Latency Difference.
Rebecca C Felsheim, Sabine Hochmuth, Alina Kleinow and 2 others
PMID 41284569WHAT IT FOUND
Adjusting the cochlear implant's latency improved sound localization in bimodal users, reducing error from 39° to 32°.
The optimal setting was rarely zero mismatch, often requiring the implant to be 2–5 ms faster than the hearing aid side for best results.
Key findings
01Optimizing the latency difference between the cochlear implant and hearing aid reduced the average localization error from 39° to 32°.
02The latency setting that produced the best localization was rarely zero, with most subjects preferring a cochlear implant that was 2–5 ms faster than the estimated match.
03With optimal latency adjustment, bimodal users achieved localization accuracy comparable to bilateral cochlear implant users.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 11 participants, limiting generalizability. Testing used white noise bursts with sharp onsets; real-world speech and environmental sounds have different temporal structures, so benefits may be smaller in daily life. The study measured acute performance; it did not test whether patients adapt to new latency settings over time. Localization errors remained high (32°) compared to normal hearing listeners (5°).
Declared interests
Funded by the European Research Council. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that setting the cochlear implant and hearing aid latencies to be equal will provide the best localization. The study found that the optimal setting was rarely zero mismatch, and individual testing is required to find the best delay.