Comparison in New Cochlear Implanted Subjects of a Tonotopy-based Bimodal Fitting and a Conventional Fitting

NCT ID: NCT05955469

Last Updated: 2026-01-20

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

20 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-11-05

Study Completion Date

2027-01-01

Brief Summary

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Main objective:

For a bimodal fitting (hearing aid (HA) + cochlear implant (CI)): Comparison of a tonotopy based fitting strategy (TFS4) to a default fitting strategy (FS4) for the speech recognition in noise.

Secondary objectives:

Comparison of TFS4 to FS4 for speech recognition in quiet. Comparison of TFS4 to FS4 for the auditory skills experienced by the subject.

Detailed Description

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Introduction:

Cochlear implantation allows the rehabilitation of profound bilateral deafness, restoring speech perception and verbal communication when the traditional hearing aid no longer provides satisfactory hearing gain. A cochlear implant includes an electrode array and its functioning is based on the principle of cochlear tonotopy: Each electrode encodes a frequency spectrum according to its position in the cochlea (high frequencies are assigned to the basal electrodes and low frequencies to the apical electrodes). The cochlear implant thus breaks down the frequency spectrum into a number of frequency bands via bandpass filters corresponding to the number of electrodes in the implant. During the fitting these bands can be modified by the audiologist.

Bimodal hearing refers to the use of a CI in one ear with a HA on the contralateral side. This association allows for adults and children a better perception of speech in quiet and in noise, a better perception of music, hearing comfort, better sound quality, better localization of sound and, consequently, a better quality of life compared to unilateral CI alone. However, there is great variability in the integration process; while some bimodal users show substantial benefits, others receive little or no benefit.

This variability could be due to the mismatch of frequencies (tonotopic shift) between the CI and the contralateral HA.

Recently MED-EL has developed an "anatomy-based fitting" (ABF) strategy based on the tonotopy that allows, from a postoperative scanner, to calculate the theoretical characteristic frequency of neurons stimulated by each electrode contact and to transmit this information to the fitting software of the CI.

This strategy (TFS4) could therefore allow a better integration of information in bimodal hearing and in particular improve the speech recognition in noise compared to a default strategy (FS4).

Main objective:

For a bimodal fitting (hearing aid (HA) + cochlear implant (CI)): Comparison of a tonotopy based fitting strategy (TFS4) to a default fitting strategy (FS4) for the speech recognition in noise.

Secondary objectives:

Comparison of TFS4 to FS4 for speech recognition in quiet. Comparison of TFS4 to FS4 for the auditory skills experienced by the subject.

Plan of the study:

It is a prospective open monocentric randomized crossover study: Measures will be done on the patient at 6 weeks and 12 weeks post-activation.

Conditions

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Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Bilateral Bilateral Hearing Loss

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Crossover Assignment

Two arms A and B:

Arm A: Bimodal patient's fitting with default fitting (FS4) --\> 6 weeks use --\> tests and bimodal patient's fitting with tonotopy-based fitting (TFS4) --\> 6 weeks use --\> tests; Arm B: Bimodal patient's fitting with TFS4 --\> 6 weeks use --\> tests and bimodal patient's fitting with FS4 --\> 6 weeks use --\> tests
Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators
Double blind study: The patient and the Investigator don't know the fitting.

Study Groups

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FS4 then TFS4

Cochlear Implant with FS4 first during 6 weeks then with TFS4 during 6 weeks

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

FS4 then TFS4 (cochlear implant)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Cochlear implant with default fitting then with tonotopy-based fitting

TFS4 then FS4

Cochlear Implant with TFS4 first during 6 weeks then with FS4 during 6 weeks

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

TFS4 then FS4 (cochlear implant)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Cochlear implant with tonotopy-based fitting then with default fitting

Interventions

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FS4 then TFS4 (cochlear implant)

Cochlear implant with default fitting then with tonotopy-based fitting

Intervention Type DEVICE

TFS4 then FS4 (cochlear implant)

Cochlear implant with tonotopy-based fitting then with default fitting

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Adult patient (\>= 18 years old) speaking French
* Patient who fulfils the criteria for cochlear implantation

Exclusion Criteria

* retro-cochlear pathology: auditory neuropathy, vestibular schwannoma
* patient with residual hearing \< 70 dB hearing level (HL) at 500 Hz and 1000 Hz on the contralateral ear
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GesmbH

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Alexandre Karkas, Pr

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Locations

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CHU Saint-Etienne

Saint-Etienne, , France

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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France

Central Contacts

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Vincent Péan, PhD

Role: CONTACT

0603592974 ext. +33

Facility Contacts

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Alexandre Karkas, Pr

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

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MEDEL_COTONBIM_StEtienne_study

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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