Environmental Sound Awareness in Experienced Cochlear Implant Users and Cochlear Implant Candidates.

Publication/Presentation Date

12-1-2018

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine if postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant (CI) users have better environmental sound awareness (ESA) compared with adult patients eligible for CIs who have not yet undergone implantation.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study.

SETTING: Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS: A group of 39 postlingually deaf adult patients who are experienced CI users (ECI), and a group of 20 postlingually deaf adult patients who are cochlear implant candidates (CIC) awaiting implantation.

INTERVENTION: Cochlear implantation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Environmental sound awareness as measured by accuracy (percent correct) using the computerized, Familiar Environmental Sounds Test-Identification (FEST-I).

RESULTS: There was no significant difference between ESA in our sample of ECI users versus CIC patients. The ECI users scored an average FEST-I accuracy of 59.9% (SD 14.3). In comparison, the CICs had an average FEST-I accuracy of 54.7% (SD 26.4). This difference was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that, despite the commonly held notion that improved ESA may be a benefit of cochlear implantation, our sample of ECI users did not demonstrate superior performance compared with CICs.

Volume

39

Issue

10

First Page

964

Last Page

964

ISSN

1537-4505

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

30252797

Department(s)

Department of Surgery, Fellows and Residents

Document Type

Article

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS