[Patient selection for adult cochlear implantation and its experience]

From 1986 to 1992, 61 adults with bilateral profound hearing loss visited our hospital for assessment as candidates for cochlear implantation. The selection process consists of the following steps: 1) taking a clinical history, 2) general otological examinations, 3) pure tone audiometry 4) hearing aid evaluation, 5) promontory stimulation testing and 6) CT scans and MR Imaging of the temporal bone. We informed patients and their families of cochlear implantation as well. Consequently 7 out of 61 cases (11.7%) were selected and underwent multi-channel cochlear implantation. Twenty-eight cases were judged to have better hearing with a hearing aid because of a residual hearing. Twenty-one cases were considered to be inappropriate candidates after informing of the cochlear implant procedure. Needless to say, the promontory stimulation testing and imaging studies are significant in patient selection, however, there was only a few who were excluded by these examinations.