In-The-Ear Hearing AidsA Comparative Investigation of the Use of Custom-made versus Modular Type Aids

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Abstract
The present investigation was performed in order to evaluate and describe the benefit of a CITE-HA and compare its use with that of a modular type ITE-HA. Thirty-five patients at a median age of 70 (range 27-84) years, were fitted with CITE-HAs. As a reference group, we selected 37 patients at a median age of 74 (age 27-85) years, were fitted with various types of modular in-the-ear-HAs. Based on an extensive questionnaire and an objective evaluation using insertion gain measurements and discrimination score in background noise, it was demonstrated that hearing disabled patients.sbd.even when elderly-benefit from in-the-ear-HAs: that the discrimination score measured with CITE-HAs was lower than that with the modular in-the-ear-HA; and that custom-made in-the-ear-HAs in general offer no major advantages when compared with the modular in-the-ear-HA types. In addition it was shown that the hearing aid amplification used by the majority of patients was considerably less than the amplification described by the POGO formula.