Rehabilitation of the Auditory Space for Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users : a Feasibility Study
Condition: Cochlear Prosthesis Implantation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      A new Neuro-Immersion system based on virtual reality and 3D motion tracking has been
      developed recently, allowing to evaluate and record the spatial localization performance of
      cochlear implant (CI) users. This system allows to highlight localization deficits in
      three-dimensional space for all CI patients. Unfortunately, there is currently no suitable
      postoperative management for these localization problems. However, the discomfort felt by
      patients is clearly verbalized. Thanks to the new virtual reality system, it is now possible
      to develop a rehabilitation protocol adapted to each patient. This project will focus on the
      evaluation of a spatial auditory rehabilitation, based on unisensory (visual) or multisensory
      (auditory and visual) feedback, for bilateral CI adults.
    


Intervention name(s): Rehabilitation protocol with visual-auditory feedback; Rehabilitation protocol with visual feedback; SPHERE protocol; French Matrix Test; Speech Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ15) questionnaire
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The rehabilitation protocol with visual-auditory feedback is based on 8 sessions, over a period of 1 month, with 2 sessions per week. Each session lasts 45 minutes. During a session, the participant has to localize a sound around him, at hand. For this, he has to direct his head (which acts as a pointer) to the place where he seems to get the sound. Then, he validates his answer using the joystick placed in his hand. Regardless of the answer given (exact or incorrect), the subject will always have a visual-auditory feedback; The rehabilitation protocol with visual feedback is based on 8 sessions, over a period of 1 month, with 2 sessions per week. Each session lasts 45 minutes. During a session, the participant has to localize a sound around him, at hand. For this, he has to direct his head (which acts as a pointer) to the place where he seems to get the sound. Then, he validates his answer using the joystick placed in his hand. Regardless of the answer given (exact or incorrect), the subject will only have a visual feedback.; Data from spatial sound perception will be recorded in three dimensional space (azimuth, elevation, and depth). First, the pointing error will be computed separately for azimuth, elevation, and depth, in terms of constant error (absolute and signed) and variable error. Then, these separate errors will be combined into a cumulative error "3d-D", hence summarizing all three space dimensions, and taking into account absolute and variable error in one measure. This lasts 10 minutes and the result is expressed by the 3d-D value; This test assesses the intelligibility threshold defined as the noise level (in decibels) for which the subject can repeat 50% of the words heard (in dichotic listening), resulting in an Speech Recognition Threshold (SRT) value. This test lasts 10 minutes.; 15 items questionnaire (each answer to questions is quoted between 0 and 10) resulting in a global SSQ 15 score. It takes 10 minutes to fill the questionnaire.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Spatial hearing perception; cochlear prosthesis implantation users; virtual reality; rehabilitation