CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF THE EUROPEAN MP3000™ OPTIMIZATION STUDY IN FREEDOM™ RECIPIENTS

Beynon A (1) ,Szyfter W (2) ,Allum J (3) ,Brokx J (4) ,Burdo S (5) , Cuda D (6) , Dhooge I (7) , Dillier N (8) , Estrada Leypón E (9) , Eyles J (10), Falcón González JC (11) , Festen J (12), Frachet B (13) , Fürstenberg D (14), Gentine A (15) , Gräbel S (16), Grolman W (17) , Hey M (18) , Hoppe U (19) , Huarte Irujo A (20) , Leone C.A (21) ,Mazzoli M (22) , Meyer B (23) , Morera Pérez C (24) , Müller-Deile J (25) , Müller-Mazzotta J (26) , Niemczyk K (27) , Offeciers E (28), Paludetti G (29) , Quaranta A (30) , Roux-Vaillard S (31) , Steffens T (32) , Triglia J (33) , Uziel A (34), VandeHeyning P (35) , Wesarg T (36) , Pesch J (37) , Rypkema G (37) , Killian M (37), Büchner A (38).

(1) Nijmegen-NL; (2) Poznan-PL; (3) Basel-CH; (4) Maastricht-BE; (5) Varese-IT; (6) Piacenza-IT; (7) Gent-BE; (8) Zurich-CH; (9) Barcelona-ES; (10) Southampton-UK; (11) Las Palmas-ES; (12) VU Amsterdam-NL; (13) Bobigny-FR; (14) Köln-GE, (15) Strasbourg-FR; (16) Berlin-GE; (17) AMC Amsterdam-NL; (18) Halberstadt-GE; (19) Erlangen-GE; (20) Pamploma-ES; (21) Naples-IT; (22) Padua-IT; (23) Paris-FR; (24) Valencia-ES; (25) Kiel-GE; (26) Marburg-GE; (27) Warsaw-PL; (28) Wilrijk/Antwerp-BE; (29) Rome-IT; (30) Bari-IT; (31) Angers-FR; (32) Regensburg-GE; (33) Marseille-FR; (34) Montpellier-FR; (35) Antwerp-BE;  (36) Freiburg-GE; (37) Cochlear-EU; (38) MHH Hannover-GE.

Introduction: MP3000 is a new sound coding concept making use of a compression algorithm based on psycho-acoustical masking and has been implemented on the Nucleus® Freedom cochlear implant system. The primary objectives of this study are to investigate the preference for, and the performance with MP3000 in comparison to the ACE™ coding strategy. The secondary objectives include optimization of MP3000 fitting parameters and comparison of battery life.

Materials and method: A prospective, multi-centre study was conducted in 9 different European countries including a total of 37 cochlear implant centres recruiting 247 Freedom users with open set speech recognition of 12 years and older. At study entry MAP-T/C levels were optimized and then a range of maxima (NofM) and masking function slopes were tested to optimize the MP3000 MAP. Speech tests in Dutch, English, French, German, Polish, Italian and Spanish were performed for MP3000 and ACE according to an ABABA design to compensate for learning effects. Diaries were used to log battery life and at the end of the study recipients had to complete comparative questionnaires and indicate preferred MAP.

Results: In the total study population and in the populations of the different language areas no significant differences in performance between MP3000 and ACE were observed. The number of recipients preferring MP3000 was not significantly different from the number preferring ACE. Median MAP T and C profiles increase is 6 and 7 CLs when converting an ACE into an MP3000 MAP. Most recipients preferred MP3000 with high NofM and narrow masking functions. A significant average battery life improvement of up 24% was found.

Discussion and conclusions: MP3000 coding delivers speech perception performance equivalent to ACE coding strategy and is equally preferred as the ACE strategy by Freedom users used to the ACE strategy. Most recipients benefit from MP3000 by an improvement in battery life.

Comments: Study sponsored by Cochlear AG, Basel

E-mail: a.beynon@kno.umcn.nl