residual hearing
The degree of functional hearing sensitivity remaining in an ear affected by hearing loss, used to guide decisions about amplification and cochlear implantation candidacy.
Full Definition
Residual hearing refers to any measurable auditory sensitivity that persists despite the presence of a hearing impairment. In clinical documentation it is most relevant to the evaluation of cochlear implant candidates, where preserved low-frequency residual hearing may support a combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) approach rather than full-array stimulation. Audiologists quantify residual hearing using pure-tone thresholds and speech recognition measures. Editors should not conflate 'residual hearing' with 'aided thresholds' or 'functional gain'; residual hearing refers to unaided sensitivity, not the benefit conferred by a device.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish clearly from 'aided thresholds' — residual hearing is always an unaided measure. Avoid the informal 'leftover hearing' in formal clinical documents.
In Context
- "The patient retained residual hearing below 1 kHz, making her a candidate for electric-acoustic stimulation." — Cochlear implant candidacy report
- "Preservation of residual hearing post-implantation was confirmed by unaided pure-tone testing." — Post-surgical audiology assessment