Nordic results of cochlear implantation in adults: speech perception and patient reported outcomes

BACKGROUND: Although cochlear implantation (CI) is widely performed in postlingually hearing-impaired adults in the Nordic countries, the literature on hearing outcomes remains scarce. Aims/objectives: To evaluate and correlate hearing outcomes after implantation.

METHODS: Prospective evaluation of 40 adult first-implantation recipients pre- and post-implantation with Dantale, the Danish Hearing in Noise Test (HINT), the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12).

RESULTS: Dantalemean increased from 50% (95% CI [41.7,58.4])) to 73% (95% CI [66.6,80.1]) and 19% (95% CI [13.3,25.1]) to 40%(95% CI [32.1,46.7]) (quiet/noise). HINTwords increased from 71% (95% CI [58.8,83.8]) to 83% (95% CI [69.8,95.4]) and 59% (95% CI [46.2,70.6]) to 73% (95% CI [63.3,82.8]) (quiet/noise). NCIQmean changed from 277 (95% CI [252.4,301.6]) to 396 (95% CI [366.7,424.7]) and SSQ12mean from 27 (95% CI [21.3,31.8]) to 48 (95% CI [39.4,55.6]). Correlations coefficients were rs = 0.39-0.74 (p < .01) between Dantale/HINT, rs = 0.78 (p < .0001) between NCIQ/SSQ12, rs = 0.41-0.59 (p < .01) between NCIQ/SSQ12 and Dantale and rs = 0.24-0.41 (ns) between NCIQ/SSQ12 and HINT.

CONCLUSION: The study documents a high auditory performance and patient-perceived improvement after implantation and advocate broader awareness of implantation as treatment option in the growing population of severe-to-profound hearing-impaired adults. Correlations between hearing measures may influence future evaluation practices.