Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 25, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Stable Longitudinal Performance of Adult Cochlear Implant Users for More Than 10 Years
Kristen Rak1, Sebastian P Schraven, Philipp Schendzielorz
1*Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Head and Neck Surgery and the Comprehensive Hearing Center, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg †Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
Objective:
To analyze the long-term performance of cochlear implant patients.
Study Design:
Retrospective longitudinal study.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center with a large cochlear implant program.
Main Outcome Measure:
Speech perception scores in quiet and in background noise in the short-term (1.12 ± 0.15 yr) and long-term (12.61 ± 2.34 yr) after implantation.
Patients:
Fifty-eight implanted ears from 55 patients with a mean age of 51.80 ± 1.757 years at the time of implantation were included.
Results:
Speech perception scores were stable in the long-term for up to 20 years postimplantation. When alteration of speech perception over time was investigated in relation to the age at implantation, there was a deterioration of the scores in quiet in older patients (>60 years old at the time of surgery). In addition the speech comprehension in noise was negatively correlated with the age at the time of the test.
Conclusion:
The speech perception abilities of cochlear implant users are stable in the long-term and at the most may be affected by the age of the patients, as it is known from acoustic hearing.
