A pilot investigation of changes in laryngeal function pre‐ and post‐cochlear implant surgery

Abstract

ABSTRACT The pilot investigation was undertaken to determine if there were any measurable changes in laryngeal function when comparing pre‐ and post‐operative status with regard to cochlear implant surgery. The subjects, all totally deafened adults with various aetiologies, were unable to monitor speech/voice production accoustically before surgery. The study aimed to evaluate whether change was effected to laryngeal function, and therefore voice quality, once an auditory feedback loop had been re‐established and no direct therapeutic intervention had taken place. All the subjects were implanted with multi‐channel cochlear implant devices (Nucleus 22: SPEAK strategy). Previous studies have measured various vocal parameters for subjects using single‐channel cochlear implant devices. Examples of these include longitudinal effects of single‐channel cochlear implantation on voice quality (Leder et al., 1990), changes in speech breathing following cochlear implantation in post‐lingually deafened adults (Lane et al., 1991), immediate effects of cochlear implants on voice quality (Leder et al., 1987) and voice intensity levels (Leder et al., 1987). This pilot investigation used the following assessments: videostroboscopy, laryngography, speech production recordings, and the ‘Vocal Profile Analysis’ (Laver, 1981). The patients were assessed immediately before cochlear implantation (within one week of surgery), and three months after implantation in order to compare results. A further follow‐up assessment nine months after cochlear implant surgery was carried out to monitor and evaluate further change. Results indicate that a statistically significant change can be measured in laryngeal function when comparing pre‐ and post‐operative status of cochlear implant surgery. Furthermore, the assessment of laryngeal function identifies the source of acoustic findings which facilitates effective management of voice quality during rehabilitation following cochlear implantation.