[The use of speech audiometry in the practice of the geriatric center].

The aim of the study was to evaluate a new test of speech audiometry while examining aged patients. 32 aged listeners from 60 to 88 years old were examined: 20 hearing aid (HA) users and 12 patients with normal hearing thresholds and mild cognitive impairment according to the results of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). The speech audiometry consisted of the traditional polysyllabic words discrimination test and a new speech test with motor responses (Verbal Tasks and Motor Responses - VTMR); in both tests the signal was presented in background noise (polyphony) in free field. All listeners performed the VTMR test significantly better than the polysyllabic words discrimination test. In the group of hearing impaired patients the mean result in VTMR test was 73,2±29,2 % without HA and 88,6±20,5 % with it, in traditional test - 34,8±20,9 % without HA and 56±18,4 % with it. All patients of the group with normal hearing and mild cognitive impairment performed the VTMR test with 100 % result, their speech discrimination score in traditional test was 88±12 %. In the practice of the geriatric center the use of both the traditional speech audiometry and the new speech test with motor responses seems to be reasonable, that allows examining the auditory function in patients with significant deterioration of speech intelligibility or cognitive impairment.

[The speech audiometry test with the verbal tasks and motor responses]. / Rechevoĭ test s verbal'nymi zadaniiami i motornym otvetom.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the possibility of using the Russian version of the speech audiometry test with the verbal tasks and motor responses (VTMR test) for the examination of the patients of the advanced and senile age suffering from hearing impairment and cognitive disorders. A total of 20 subjects at the age between 60 and 83 years were enrolled in the study. All of them presented with grade II-III bilateral symmetric chronic sensorineural hearing loss associated with mild cognitive disorders. The patients used the hearing aids. Twelve subjects aged 64-88 years presenting with the normal hearing threshold in both ears and mild cognitive impairment (25-27 points in the MMSE test) were included in the study to serve as controls. All the listeners underwent tonal threshold audiometry in combination with speech tests in a free acoustic field (perception of polysyllabic words and VTMR) and filled in the relevant questionnaires (MMSE and HHIE). The results of the study indicate that the VTMR test can be recommended for the evaluation of the effectiveness of hearing aids prescribed to the elderlysubjects and for the study of the auditory function in the patients presenting with cognitive disorders.

[Peculiarities of hearing prosthetics for the patients suffering tympanophonia].

The objective of the present study was to estimate the influence of fractal tones (ZEN program) on chronic subjective tympanophonia in the patients using hearing aid apparatuses. A total of 20 subjects at the age from 30 to 69 years suffering tympanophonia in combination with grade I-IV loss of hearing were available for examination with the use of the following methods: analysis of complaints and medical histories, evaluation of ENT functioning, impedancometry, tonal threshold, suprathreshold and speech audiometry, psychoacoustic noise measurement, analysis of THI and TRQ questionnaires. The results of the questionnaire studies show that the use of the ZEN program and hearing aid apparatuses (Mind 440, WIDEX) decreased the intensity of tympanophonia in 90% of the patients. The therapeutic effect of the ZEN program in the younger patients was higher than in the elder ones. The probability of positive action of fractal tones decreased with increasing scores when the assessment was based on the primary THI and TRQ questionnaires.