Cochlear implantation in adolescents and adults with prelinguistic deafness: outcomes and candidacy issues

Abstract

Cochlear implantation in adults with prelinguistic deafness is of questionable benefit for speech recognition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of late cochlear implantation in adolescents and adults with prelinguistic hearing loss. A second objective was to evaluate the relationship between predictive factors and speech recognition outcomes. A retrospective study was undertaken of 22 patients with prelinguistic deafness who underwent implantation in the Ottawa Cochlear Implant Program. Participants ranged in age from 12 to 55 years at the time of implantation. All used oral language as the primary communication mode. Speech perception data were extracted from the clinical records to examine pre- and post-implant improvement. The results of this analysis indicated that patients with prelinguistic deafness can achieve open-set speech recognition. Patients implanted as adolescents achieved higher open-set word and sentence scores than those implanted at a later age. The results suggest a relationship between the pre-implant candidacy profiles, which were obtained through a rating of predictive factors, and patient speech perception outcomes. A consideration of predictive factors may offer important prognostic indicators for patients who undergo “late” implantation.