Comparison of Speech Perception Performance Between Sprint/Esprit 3G and Freedom Processors in Children Implanted With Nucleus Cochlear Implants

Objective: To compare speech perception performance in children fitted with previous generation Nucleus sound processor, Sprint or Esprit 3G, and the Freedom™, which is the most recent cochlear implant system released by Cochlear.. Study Design: Prospective intra-subject comparative study. Setting: University Medical Center. Subjects: Seventeen prelingually deafened children that received the Nucleus 24 cochlear implant and used the Sprint or Esprit 3G sound processor. Intervention: Cochlear implantation with Cochlear device. Main Outcome Measurements: Speech perception was evaluated at baseline (Sprint n=11,Esprit 3G n=6) and following one month’s experience with the Freedom sound processor. Identification and recognition of disyllabic words and identification of vowels was performed via recorded-voice in quiet (70 dBA), in the presence of background noise at various levels of signal-to-noise ratio (+10, +5, 0, -5) and at a soft presentation level (60 dBA). Consonant identification and recognition of disyllabic words, trisyllabic words and sentences was evaluated in live-voice. Frequency discrimination was measured in a small subset of subjects (n=5) by utilizing an adaptive, three-interval, three-alternative, forced-choice procedure. Results: Identification of disyllabic words administered at a soft presentation level showed a significant increase when switching to the Freedom compared to the previously worn processor in children using the Sprint or Esprit 3G. Identification and recognition of disyllabic words in the presence of background noise as well as consonant identification and sentence recognition increased significantly for the Freedom compared to the previously worn device only in children fitted with the Sprint. Frequency discrimination was significantly better when switching to the Freedom compared to the previously worn processor. Speech perception in children using Freedom 3 Conclusion: The results of this study show that speech perception performance evaluated in children is better with the Freedom than the previous generation of Nucleus sound processors. These differences are deemed to ensue from an increased amplitude of the input dynamic range (IDR).