Differences in music appreciation between bilateral and single-sided cochlear implant recipients

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Neurosurgery
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Cochlear implantation (CI) is a treatment for sensorineural hearing loss.
• Music perception can be affected by hearing loss and improved by CI.
• Differences in music appreciation between single-sided deafness (SSD) and bilateral deafness post-CI are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare changes in music appreciation after cochlear implant (CI) surgery.
• To evaluate music quality of life (QOL) scores in patients with SSD versus bilateral deafness.
• To assess functional CI outcomes including speech perception.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of adult CI recipients (November 2019 - March 2023).
• Collected Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL)-35 Profile Instrument scores for music appreciation.
• Measured speech-in-quiet (SIQ) using AzBio and CNC tests for functional CI assessment.

Main Results:

• Both SSD and bilateral deafness groups showed significant improvements in speech-in-quiet (SIQ) scores post-CI.
• SSD patients had higher baseline music QOL scores compared to bilateral deafness patients (11.05 vs. 7.86).
• SSD patients demonstrated a significant increase in music QOL scores from baseline to last follow-up (p=0.03), unlike bilateral patients.

Conclusions:

• Single-sided deafness patients exhibit superior baseline music appreciation compared to bilaterally deafened individuals.
• Cochlear implantation in SSD patients is associated with sustained improvements in subjective music appreciation.
• Music appreciation outcomes can differ between SSD and bilateral deafness patients despite similar speech perception gains.