Long Deafness Duration Slows Early Cochlear Implant Speech Gains

A retrospective single-center review of 41 adult cochlear implant recipients with at least 5 years of documented unaided deafness examined speech perception outcomes by duration of deafness. The study reported that patients with 20 or more years of deafness had lower CNC word recognition scores at 3 months than those with shorter durations, though differences resolved by 12 months; patients lacking measurable pre-operative hearing thresholds were more likely to be device non-users or fail to achieve open-set speech perception. The authors concluded that absence of measurable pre-operative thresholds may identify a subgroup at higher risk for limited functional benefit.

Most relevant for: Adults being evaluated for cochlear implantation after prolonged unaided deafness, particularly those with no measurable pre-operative hearing thresholds.

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