A 50-year-old man has total right-sided sensorineural deafness following vestibular schwannoma surgery. The left ear has completely normal hearing. He struggles in meetings and group conversations where speakers are on his right side. Which amplification option is most appropriate?

• A Conventional behind-the-ear aid fitted to the right ear
• B Contralateral routing of signal (CROS) hearing aid ✓
• C Power BTE aid fitted bilaterally
• D Bone anchored hearing device on the right side

Explanation

A CROS aid picks up sound from the unaidable deaf ear with a microphone on that side and routes it wirelessly to a receiver in the normal contralateral ear, restoring awareness of sound arriving from the deaf side. Amplifying the dead ear with any conventional or power aid is futile. A bone conduction device would transmit vibration to the skull but offers no advantage over CROS when the opposite cochlea is fully normal.

Reference: Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, 7th ed.

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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.