Do Patients Benefit From a Cochlear Implant When They Qualify Only in the Presence of Background Noise?. Issue 2 (February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lundberg, Emily M. H.; Strong, Darcy; Anderson, Melinda; Kaizer, Alexander M.; Gubbels, Samuel
• Is Part Of: Otology & neurotology. Volume 42:Issue 2(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-02
• Subjects: Cochlear implant candidacy -- Cochlear implants -- Sensorineural hearing loss -- Signal-to-noise ratio -- Speech-in-noise; Otology -- Periodicals; Ear -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Skull base -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.8005
• DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000002878
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1531-7129

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To compare the difference in pre- to postoperative speech performance of patients qualifying for a cochlear implant (CI) in quiet, +10 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and +5 dB SNR. Study Design: Retrospective. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Fifty-eight post-lingually deafened, unilateral CI recipients from three Groups were included: 1) those who met CI candidacy criteria with AzBio sentences in quiet, 2) in noise at +10 dB SNR but not in quiet, 3) and in noise at +5 dB SNR but not in quiet or +10 dB SNR. Intervention: Unilateral CI. Main Outcome Measures: Pre- and 1 year postoperative speech recognition scores. Results: Best-aided AzBio speech recognition of individuals in Group 1 improved significantly for all test conditions and improved significantly for Groups 2 and 3 in the +10 and +5 dB SNR test conditions postoperatively. When tested with their CI alone however, while AzBio speech recognition of individuals in Group 1 and Group 2 improved significantly in the quiet and +10 dB SNR conditions, speech recognition was not significantly changed postoperatively under any testing condition for individuals in Group 3. Conclusions: While individuals qualifying for a CI only in the +5 dB SNR condition may derive significant benefit from implantation in best aided conditions, speech understanding outcomes can be more variable thus warranting additional counseling before implantation and case-by-case consideration of listening needs and goals.