Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Author Spotlight: Optimizing EAS with Long Electrodes for Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation
Published on: October 11, 2024
Systematic Literature Review of Hearing Preservation Rates in Cochlear Implantation Associated With Medium- and
Paul H Van de Heyning1, Stefan Dazert2, Javier Gavilan3
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, Department of Translational Neurosciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Background:
The last two decades have demonstrated that preoperative functional acoustic hearing (residual hearing) can be preserved during cochlear implant (CI) surgery. However, the relationship between the electrode array length and postoperative hearing preservation (HP) with lateral wall flexible electrode variants is still under debate.
Aims/Objectives:
This is a systematic literature review that aims to analyze the HP rates of patients with residual hearing for medium-length and longer-length lateral wall electrodes.
Method:
A systematic literature review methodology was applied following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) recommendations to evaluate the HP rates of medium-length and longer-length lateral wall electrodes from one CI manufacturer (medium length FLEX 24, longer length FLEX 28 and FLEX SOFT, MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria). A search using search engine PubMed (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) was performed using the search terms "hearing preservation" or "residual hearing" and "cochlear implant" in "All fields." Articles published only in English between January 01, 2009 and December 31, 2020 were included in the search.
Results:
The HP rate was similar between medium-length (93.4%-93.5%) and longer (92.1%-86.8%) electrodes at 4 months (p = 0.689) and 12 months (p = 0.219). In the medium-length electrode group, patients under the age of 45 years had better HP than patients above the age of 45 years.
Conclusions:
Both medium-length and longer electrode arrays showed high hearing preservation rates. Considering the hearing deterioration over time, implanting a longer electrode at primary surgery should be considered, thus preventing the need for future reimplantation.
