외이도수화기보청기의 이어팁 형태와 고막보청기의 폐쇄효과 비교

Comparison of Occlusion Effect between Ear-Tip Type of Receiver-In-Canal Hearing Aids and Completely-In-the-Canal

Purpose: To compare the occlusion effect (OE) of a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid and receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid with open ear tip (OET), closed ear tip (CET), and double ear tip (DET), the present study measured the real-ear insertion gain (REIG) and psychoacoustic differences. Methods: While seventeen adults with normal hearing wearing the dummy CIC hearing aid and three types of ear-tips for the RIC hearing aid, they vocalized the /ee [i]/ sound. The REIG and psychoacoustic differences were measured at each condition and compared in terms of decibel and degree of occlusion. Results: First, OET and CET types for the RIC hearing aids were more effective to reduce the OE than both DET type of RIC hearing aid and CIC hearing aid. Second, there was no difference between DET type of the RIC hearing aid and CIC hearing aid in terms of REIG and psychoacoustics. Third, the REIG of the DET with RIC hearing aid and CIC hearing aids was lower in the frequency band of around 3,000 Hz than the other types such as OET and CET. Conclusion: The current results support that the OET and CET types for RIC hearing aids effectively help reducing the OE. Regardless, the CIC hearing aid which has reduced gain in the high frequencies also can provide better speech perception and sound quality. In conclusion, when selecting an open fit or custom hearing aid, the hearing-impaired listeners are recommended while considering both degree, type, and configuration of hearing loss and technical aspects of hearing aid.