[Factors influencing satisfaction of cochlear implant users--a questionnaire-based study]

We surveyed on cochlear implant (CI) users using a questionnaire to determine how they use their CIs in daily life and to what degree they are satisfied with them. We also studied the relationship between the degree of satisfaction and speech perception score, age at operation, and deafness duration. Subjects were 37, postlingually-deafened adult CI users were subjected to this study. Average CI use per day was 13.6 hours. Some 60% of subjects understood person-to-person conversation without lipreading, but most could not communicate on the telephone, in meetings, or in noisy places, for example. Most--about 80%--were satisfied with CI, but 20% were not. Those not satisfied tended to be unable to understand person-to-person conversation even with CI and lipreading, indicating that understanding person-to-person conversation is one of the most important reasons for satisfaction in CI users. Speech recognition scores improved in all cases after implantation. Most patients with high speech recognition score-->40% in consonant recognition--were satisfied with CI, but those with recognition scores < 40% in consonant recognition, the degree of satisfaction varied. These results indicate that the degree of satisfaction in CI users does not always correspond to the degree of improvement in speech recognition score. Two patients not satisfied with CI had undergone surgery after the age of 65 years and deafness duration exceeding 20 years. Advanced age and a long deafness duration may thus reduce satisfaction with CIs.