Abstract:
Background: The aim of the study was to investigate whether noise reduction algorithms are beneficial for speech perception in the presence of noise in children using cochlear implants. Further, the study also aimed to determine whether any differ-ence in speech perception existed between different pre-processing strategies such as Adaptive Dynamic Range Optimization (ADRO), Autosensitivity Control (ASC), and the two-stage adaptive beam-forming algorithm (Beam) in different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs).Material and Method: Speech identification scores of the participants were tested in quiet with the ‘Everyday’ default setting activated. They were also tested using speech in noise at +5 dB and +10 dB SNR with ADRO, ASC, and Beam activated. Ex-actly 17 children using Nucleus cochlear implants for at least 1 year were tested.Results: A significant difference was found between performance in quiet (in the ‘Everyday’ default setting) and in the pres-ence of noise (with ADRO, ASC, and Beam). No significant difference was found between the 3 pre-processing strategies at both SNRs and between the 2 SNRs for all 3 strategies.Conclusions: In conditions where the signal and noise emerge from in front of the listener, no influence of the pre-process-ing strategies was seen.