Category loudness scaling to evaluate sound perception in cochlear and retro-cochlear lesions

Category loudness scaling was used to investigate the loudness perception of 31 patients with a cochlear hearing loss (Group 1) by comparing the results with those found in 15 patients with retro-cochlear hearing loss caused by an acoustic neuroma (Group 2). Narrow-band noise signals at four differe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:HNO 1999-09, Vol.47 (9), p.787
Main Authors: Nieschalk, M, Schmäl, F, Delank, K W, Stoll, W
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Audiometry
Brain Stem - physiopathology
Cochlear Nerve - physiopathology
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem - physiology
Female
Hearing Loss, Central - diagnosis
Hearing Loss, Central - physiopathology
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - diagnosis
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - physiopathology
Humans
Loudness Perception - physiology
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroma, Acoustic - diagnosis
Neuroma, Acoustic - physiopathology
Recruitment Detection, Audiologic
Sensitivity and Specificity
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Summary:Category loudness scaling was used to investigate the loudness perception of 31 patients with a cochlear hearing loss (Group 1) by comparing the results with those found in 15 patients with retro-cochlear hearing loss caused by an acoustic neuroma (Group 2). Narrow-band noise signals at four different frequencies (0.5 to 4.0 kHz) were used. In the cochlear hearing-impaired subjects the slopes of the level-loudness functions tended to increase with increasing hearing loss, indicating positive recruitment, whereas the much shallower slopes associated with retro-cochlear lesions were presumed to reflect negative recruitment. The graphic representation of the iso-loudness functions revealed a different dynamic range between Group 1 and 2 with the ability to discriminate small differences of stimulus levels reduced in the presence of an acoustic neuroma. Category loudness scaling has been shown to be a valuable tool describing the individual perception of sound in a qualitative and quantitative manner. Furthermore, the method can be employed as an indicator of recruitment without any restrictive preconditions. For this reason the categorical loudness scaling can be a desirable method for supplementing the audiological diagnosis of a retro-cochlear hearing impairment through the frequency-specific description of a usable hearing-field and its dynamic range.
ISSN:0017-6192
DOI:10.1007/s001060050461