One Year Assessment of the Hearing Preservation Potential of the EVO Electrode Array.

Nicolas Guevara,Christophe Vincent,Cécile Parietti-Winkler,Yann Nguyen,Michel Hoen,Isabelle Mosnier,Marine Ardoint,Chadlia Karoui,Benoit Godey,Eric Truy,Valerie Franco-Vidal,Dan Gnansia

doi:10.3390/jcm10235604

Abstract

Background: A prospective longitudinal multicentre study was conducted to assess the one-year postsurgical hearing preservation profile of the EVOTM electrode array. Methods: Fifteen adults presenting indications of electro-acoustic stimulation (pure-tone audiometry (PTA) thresholds ≤70 dB below 750 Hz) were implanted with the EVO™ electrode array. Hearing thresholds were collected at five time-points from CI activation to twelve months (12M) after activation. Hearing thresholds and hearing preservation profiles (HEARRING group classification) were assessed. Results: All subjects had measurable hearing thresholds at follow-up. No case of complete loss of hearing or minimal hearing preservation was reported at any time point. At activation (Nact = 15), five participants had complete hearing preservation, and ten participants had partial hearing preservation. At the 12M time point (N12m = 6), three participants had complete hearing preservation, and three participants had partial hearing preservation. Mean hearing loss at activation was 11 dB for full range PTA and 25 dB for PTAs low-frequency (125–500 Hz). Conclusions: This study provides the first longitudinal follow-up on associated hearing profiles to the EVO™ electrode array, which are comparable to the literature. However, other studies on larger populations should be performed.

Highlights

The cochlear implant (CI) can constitute a dilemma for subjects with severe highfrequency hearing loss (HL)
Full insertion of the electrode array was achieved in 53.3% of the cases, in agreement with the instruction given to surgeons to stop insertion at first resistance to prioritize atraumaticity of the insertion over full insertion
hearing preservation (HP) score percentages and classification according to the HEARRING group along with follow-up time points are available in Supplemental Material 1 both for the full range PTAs and PTAs of low-frequency (0.125–500 Hz)

Summary

Introduction

The cochlear implant (CI) can constitute a dilemma for subjects with severe highfrequency hearing loss (HL). Preservation of the cochlear structure is key to the success of cochlear implantation for this population When these subjects are CI candidates (averaged hearing thresholds

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Conclusion