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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Performance Phenotypes and Early Prognostic Benchmarking After Adult Cochlear Implantation
Stephanie Younan1, Connie Chang-Chien1, Lourdes Kaufman1
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
The Laryngoscope
|August 3, 2026
Summary
Adult cochlear implant (CI) users show rapid hearing improvement in the first 3 months, with early performance predicting long-term success. A 1-month benchmark of 44% consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) score indicates functional success.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation (CI) is a transformative therapy for profound hearing loss.
- Understanding post-implantation auditory adaptation is crucial for managing patient expectations and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the timing of hearing improvement after cochlear implant activation.
- To identify distinct patient performance groups (phenotypes).
- To establish an early predictor of long-term success following cochlear implantation in adults.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 530 adult CI recipients.
- Evaluation of consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word recognition scores at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-activation.
- Clustering analysis to identify performance phenotypes and assessment of prognostic validity of early scores.
Main Results:
- Auditory improvement was significantly faster in the first 3 months compared to later periods (p < 0.001).
- Three distinct performance phenotypes were identified at 1 month (p < 0.001).
- A 1-month CNC score of ≥44% accurately predicted functional success at 12 months (AUC=0.82), with device usage not being a primary predictor.
Conclusions:
- Adults experience accelerated auditory adaptation in the initial 3 months post-CI activation.
- A 1-month CNC score serves as a reliable prognostic benchmark for predicting long-term outcomes.
- Sustained device engagement through 6 months is linked to better long-term results.
