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Updated: Jan 4, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Impedance Monitoring for Cochlear Implant Surgery
Published on: August 4, 2023
The Role of Sex on Early Cochlear Implant Outcomes
Mallory J Raymond1, Samir A Ballestas1, Justin C Wise2
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine.
Objective:
To determine the presence of sex differences in cochlear implant outcomes.
Study Design:
Retrospective chart review.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Patients:
Adult patients having undergone cochlear implantation from 2009 to 2017.
Intervention(S):
Standard electrode length cochlear implantation.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
AzBio scores in quiet of the implanted ear at the 1 to 3 months and 6 to 9 months postoperative time points.
Results:
Of 55 patients with complete demographic and speech recognition testing, 36.4% (n = 20) were men. The mean age at time of surgery was 59.81 ± 16.54 years and the mean duration of hearing loss was 26.33 ± 18.54 years; there was no significant difference between men and women. The mean preoperative AzBio score was 11 ± 15.86% and there was no difference between men and women. Through 2 (sex) × 3 (time point) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), there was no main effect of sex (F[1, 48] = 0.74, p = 0.39, η = 0.02) on postoperative AzBio scores, but there was a significant sex by time point interaction, (F[1.77, 85.03] = 4.23, p = 0.02, η = 0.08). At the 1 to 3 months postoperative time point, women exhibited higher relative improvement in AzBio scores than men (67 ± 27% versus 55 ± 31%). Further, this relative improvement increased and remained significant at the 6 to 9 months postoperative time point (women: 71 ± 22% versus 58 ± 30%).
Conclusions:
Sex may play a role in early speech recognition outcomes after adult cochlear implantation.
