Custom cochlear implant tuning based on ear anatomy may sharpen hearing in noise and music for the single-sided deaf
NCT ID NCT07703800
First seen Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This trial tests whether programming a cochlear implant based on the individual's inner ear anatomy (anatomy-based fitting) improves speech understanding in noisy environments and music perception compared to standard programming. The study enrolls adults with single-sided deafness who have recently received a cochlear implant. Participants will undergo both fitting methods and be tested on speech in noise, music perception, and sound localization.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Anatomy-based fitting of the cochlear implant speech processor
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could lead to better hearing in noise and richer music perception for people with single-sided deafness who use a cochlear implant.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefit over standard fitting may be small or not noticeable.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 18 years * Post-lingual onset of unilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss * Contralateral hearing \< 30 dB HL (PTA measured at 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz en 4 kHz) * Post-operative Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the CI elec-trode available * Subject implanted with MED-EL cochlear implant(s) * Subjects received a Flex20, Flex24, Flex28, FlexSoft, Flex34 or Standard electrode * Subject planned to receive a SONNET 2, SONNET 3 or RONDO 3 audio processor on the newly implanted side * Newly implanted CI users * The most apical active electrode contact has to be inserted at least 540° * Minimum of 10 active channels can be activated * Fluent in the language of the test centre * Signed and dated Informed Consent Form (ICF) before the start of any study-specific procedure Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of compliance with any inclusion criteria * Implanted with C40+, C40X and C40C * Implanted with an ABI or Split electrode array * Anything that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would place the subject at increased risk or preclude the subject's full compliance with or completion of the study
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Antwerp University Hopsital
RECRUITINGAntwerp, 2650, Belgium
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