Clinical Case · Clinician

Severe-to-profound loss with little benefit from aids

Vignette

An adult with a bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural loss has worn well-fitted, REM-verified hearing aids for several months but still cannot understand speech, even in quiet, and aided benefit is poor.

Audiogram

-10020406080100120500 Hz1k Hz2k Hz4k HzHearing level (dB HL)
O Right earX Left ear
Estimated thresholds by ear. O = right, X = left.

Test findings

Profound sensorineural loss with poor aided speech understanding despite optimal, verified amplification.

Diagnostic question

What is the appropriate next step?