Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Older Adults With Single-sided Deafness and Asymmetric Hearing Loss.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate cochlear implant (CI) outcomes of individuals 65 or older, with single-sided deafness (SSD) or asymmetric hearing loss (AHL).

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective chart review.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENTS: Sixty-six adults with SSD (32) or AHL (34) ≥65 at CI.

INTERVENTIONS: Cochlear implantation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pre-op versus post-op sentence and word understanding in quiet [poor ear (PE)], sentence understanding in noise (bilateral condition); hearing ability ratings and datalogging.

RESULTS

All participants had improved PE scores after CI. Mean sentence improvement was 58 (SSD) and 73 (AHL) percentage points. Mean word improvement was 40 (SSD) and 55 (AHL) percentage points. Mean bilateral noise scores for SSD were not significantly different, pre-op (90%) to post-op (93%); however, noise scores for AHL were significantly improved pre-op (63%) to post-op (80%). Mean hearing ability ratings were significantly better post-op versus pre-op, with greatest improvements for speech understanding and spatial hearing. Average daily CI use was significantly higher for AHL (10.8 h) than for SSD (8.6 h). Importantly, participants with moderate to severe PE hearing loss and those with profound PE hearing loss had similar pre-op to post-op improvement, for example, 58 percentage points for sentences in quiet for those with less PE hearing loss and 70 percentage points for those with greater PE hearing loss.

CONCLUSIONS

SSD and AHL participants 65 or older had improved speech understanding and quality of life after cochlear implantation. Daily CI use was at least 8 hours. Hearing in the PE did not impact outcomes.