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Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Factors affecting open-set word recognition in adults with cochlear implants.
Laura K Holden1, Charles C Finley, Jill B Firszt
1Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA. holdenl@wustl.edu
Ear and Hearing
|January 26, 2013
Summary
Factors like age at implantation, duration of hearing loss, and electrode position significantly impact cochlear implant (CI) outcomes. Minimizing these limiting factors can improve speech recognition for CI recipients.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neurosurgery
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Significant variability exists in speech recognition outcomes for adult cochlear implant (CI) users.
- Duration of deafness is a known factor, but other influences on CI performance remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors contributing to outcome variability in newly implanted adult CI recipients.
- To examine biographic/audiologic data, electrode position, and cognitive abilities.
Main Methods:
- 114 postlingually deaf adults with CI devices were studied.
- Pre-implantation data included audiology, cognition, and CT scans; post-implantation speech recognition was tracked for 2 years.
- Electrode position was analyzed using 3D CT reconstruction.
Main Results:
- Younger age at implantation, shorter hearing loss duration, and better electrode placement (closer to modiolar wall, less in scala vestibuli) correlated with higher speech recognition.
- Cognitive ability was initially linked to outcomes but lost significance when controlling for age.
- Higher CI sound-field thresholds were associated with poorer outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Multiple factors, acting alone or together, influence CI outcomes.
- Identifying and managing these limiting factors can optimize patient counseling, device fitting, and rehabilitation strategies.
- Understanding these factors may also inform future CI device design.
