Authors: Yipeng Lin¹; Yong Tao²; Huilin Yin²; Shanxian Gao¹; Li Yin¹; Gang Li²
¹Zhejiang Nurotron Biotechnology Co. Ltd.; ²West China Hospital
Background: This study evaluated the safety and clinical effectiveness of AutoNRM, an automatic fitting system integrated into Nurotron’s Nurosound platform. AutoNRM automatically measures electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) thresholds and generates an ECAP-based initial fitting map, which is further fine-tuned by audiologists in live mode to create a finalized LiveECAPMAP. Outcomes were compared with conventional behaviorally based LiveBurstMAPs.
Method: Twenty cochlear implant users without cochlear malformations were enrolled (6 males, 14 females; mean age 36.05 ± 14.85 years). ECAP thresholds were recorded from electrodes 1, 4, 7, 13, 16, 19, and 24. AutoNRM generated ECAPMAPs based on ECAP thresholds and AGF curves, followed by audiologist-guided loudness balancing and real-world listening checks. After a 30-minute adaptation period for each MAP, participants completed aided hearing threshold testing, Mandarin Speech Perception tests (disyllabic words/sentences in quiet and noise), and an 11-point subjective questionnaire in a double-blind design.
Results: Aided thresholds were comparable between LiveECAPMAPs and LiveBurstMAPs (31.81 ± 3.59 vs. 32.36 ± 4.62 dB HL; p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed in disyllabic word recognition in quiet (69.66 ± 21.84% vs. 73.36 ± 19.96%), sentence recognition in quiet (66.59 ± 25.05% vs. 67.31 ± 22.12%), or sentence recognition in noise (54.56 ± 33.81% vs. 55.33 ± 33.65%; all p > 0.05). Subjective ratings also showed no significant differences between MAP types.
Conclusion: AutoNRM enables reliable ECAP-based automatic generation of initial cochlear implant fitting maps. Its clinical outcomes are comparable to conventional psychophysical fitting, supporting its safety, reliability, and efficiency for initial fitting in adult CI users.
