Remote Check in Cochlear Implant Follow-Up: An Exploratory Comparison with Conventional Audiological Measurements

Introduction: Cochlear implant follow-up requires periodic assessments and resources. Remote Check (RC) enables remote assessment of aided thresholds, speech perception in noise, and Impedance Field Telemetry (IFT). This exploratory study investigated relationships between remote and conventional measurements, including numerical and longitudinal comparisons where methodologically appropriate. Methods: This prospective, single-center exploratory study included 12 adults with Nucleus 7/8 cochlear implants. At baseline (T0) and after a mean 4.83-month follow-up (T1), participants underwent free-field (FF) pure-tone audiometry, Matrix Sentence Test (MST), Aided Threshold Test (ATT), Digit Triplet Test (DTT), and IFT; RC assessments were performed under supervised clinical conditions. Analyses included exploratory paired comparisons, correlations, longitudinal analyses, and linear mixed-effects models where appropriate. Results: ATT thresholds were lower than FF thresholds (mean PTA differences: -7.78 dB at T0; -9.23 dB at T1), with no Method × Time interaction. MST and DTT showed a positive association at T0 (Pearson r = 0.833, 95% CI 0.497-0.952), whereas no clear association was observed at T1 (r = 0.074, 95% CI -0.583-0.672). IFT differences were small (T0: +0.35 kΩ; T1: -0.06 kΩ), with high correlations and no Method × Time interaction. Discussion and Conclusions: Under supervised conditions, RC ATT showed numerical differences from conventional FF thresholds, while the relationship between MST and DTT speech-in-noise performance remained uncertain across assessments and remote and conventional IFT measurements showed comparatively small differences. Interpretation is limited by differing measurement paradigms and the small sample. Larger independent studies, including home-based assessments, are required before broader clinical or triage applications can be established.