Does the Receiver Type Used in Receiver-in-Canal Hearing Aids Have an Effect on Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference and Coupler Response for Flat Insertion Gain Values?

Tehran University of Medical Sciences Auditory and Vestibular Research 2423-480X 33 4 2024 04 14 Does the Receiver Type Used in Receiver-in-Canal Hearing Aids Have an Effect on Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference and Coupler Response for Flat Insertion Gain Values? 313 321 Masoud Bolandi Department of Audiology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Science, Tehran, Iran Ahmad Reza Nazeri Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hamid Jalilvand Department of Audiology, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Alireza Akbarzadeh Baghban Proteomics Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2023 12 15 2024 02 10 Background and Aim: Real-Ear-to-Coupler Difference (RECD) is affected by the type of transducer and its coupling method. This study aimed to investigate the effect of receiver type used in Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) hearing aids on RECD and Coupler Response for Flat Insertion Gain (CORFIG) obtained by the same coupling method. Methods: In this study, the right ears of 30 normal-hearing adults (25 men and 5 women, with a mean age of 28.13±5.62 years) were studied. We used the RIC hearing aids with two standard and power receivers. The foam of the ER-3A insert earphone was used as a coupling system in both receivers. By using the Audiogram Direct test within Phonak’s fitting software, 70 dB HL intensity was produced at different frequencies, once in the realear and again in the HA-1 coupler. By assessing the difference between real-ear and HA-1 coupler measurements, the RECD was first obtained. Then, the CORFIG was obtained at different frequencies by subtracting the Microphone Location Effect (MLE) and RECD from Real-Ear Unaided Gain (REUG). Results: The RECD and CORFIG values obtained from the standard receiver at all frequencies were significantly different from those from the power receiver (p<0.05), where the use of the power receiver resulted in lower RECD and higher CORFIG. With the increase in frequency, the RECD increased. A small frequency changes of 50 Hz had a significant effect on RECD and CORFIG. Conclusion: The type of receiver used in RIC hearing aids has a significant effect on the RECD and CORFIG values. https://avr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/avr/article/view/1232 https://avr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/avr/article/download/1232/573