Validation of fitting in hearing devices The use of Simplified Italian Matrix Sentence Test (SIIMax)

Introduction: the Matrix Sentence Test is an adaptive speech audiometry test available in multiple languages. Its widespread use can be attributed to its valuable role in audiological evaluations, particularly for assessing hearing aids and cochlear implants. Purpose: the aim of this study is to report the experience of using the Simplified Italian Matrix Sentence Test (SIIMax) in the clinical routine of a tertiary pediatric audiological university hospital. Materials and Methods: a total of 60 normal-hearing (NH) children (32 females, 28 males) and 78 hearing-impaired (HI) subjects (42 females, 36 males), aged 5–10 years, were consecutively evaluated using pure-tone audiometry and speech audiometry with SIIMax. Hearing aid (HA) benefits were assessed using free-field pure-tone and speech audiometry, as well as SIIMax with an SRT50% measured at 65 dB HL (speech) and an initial signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of +10 dB HL, both with and without HA. Results: participants with bilateral symmetric sensorineural hearing loss (HL) of varying degrees showed significantly improved SIIMAx scores when using HA. The improvement was related to the HA benefit measured by pure-tone audiometry (PTA) and changed by age. An average SRT50 improvement of 2 dB HL was checked and analyzed across different age group. As expected, SIIMax accurately differentiated between NH and HI groups. Conclusions: SIIMax proved to be a practical and time-efficient tool for use in pediatric populations. In particular, an adaptive SRT50 was found to be a sensitive parameter for evaluating the effectiveness of HA in children.