Hearing loss, cochlear implant, hearing aid, speech perception, bimodal hearing, patient preference

“Combining a cochlear implant and a hearing aid in opposite ears: The best of both worlds”

Hearing loss is a disabling sensory dysfunction with impact on the quality of life. Severely hearing impaired subjects can regain access to sound by receiving a cochlear implant which provides electric stimulation to the auditory nerve. When one still has residual hearing in the non-implanted ear, a cochlear implant can be combined with a conventional hearing aid in the other ear.  This combination of electric and acoustic hearing is known as bimodal hearing. It can offer many advantages but also faces a lot of challenges. Who opts to use a bimodal fitting? What are the benefits? How does it support speech perception? Can this be improved by directional microphone systems? How can imaging help to approach natural hearing? Discover through this research how the best of both worlds is combined.