Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the moment-to-moment auditory control of voice at an early stage after implantation with Clarion cochlear implants.
Study design: A perceptive and electroacoustic evaluation of the voice was carried out through a digital analysis immediately after the activation of the implant, before the fitting procedure has begun.
Setting: The study was performed at the Department of Otolaryngology, University "La Sapienza" of Rome.
Patients: Nine profoundly deaf subjects (five post-linguistic deaf adults, two pre-linguistic deaf children and two peri-linguistic deaf subjects, one adult and one child).
Intervention: Surgical insertion of a Clarion cochlear device.
Main outcome measures: Qualitative (short-term pitch and energy perturbation, intonation, vocal attack, quality, and intensity) and quantitative (F0, F1, F2 and F3 frequency values), under non activated (NAI) and activated (AI) condition, have been obtained.
Results: In the majority of patients, the perceptive evaluation under AI showed a lowering of voice intonation, a better control of voice intensity, and a reduction of nasal quality. These findings were confirmed by a significant lowering of F0 (Wicoxon non parametric test) in all cases and lowering of F1 and F2 in five cases. Additionally, a better definition of all formats in the majority of cases as well as by a parallelism of pitch and energy profile was observed.
Conclusions: The Clarion cochlear implant device provided a recognizable moment-to-moment auditory control on voice and articulatory patterns. By monitoring the articulated voice during adjustment of the electrical stimulation at the first fitting session, one may be able to include these data and assist in the selection of the best rehabilitative strategy.