Quality of life after cochlear implantation in postlingually deaf adults

Abstract

To evaluate the quality of life after cochlear implantation in adult cochlear implant recipients and to assess the applicability of Nijmegen Cochlear implant Questionnaire (NCIQ). Thirty-two postlingually deaf patients, 19 males and 13 females, underwent cochlear implantation with the age at operation of 35.27 (18-66) during the period from 1996 to the end of 2006. NCIQ was used to investigate the application of the equipment, hearing ability, and emotional exchange ability. All of the patients used their cochlear implants for 16 h every day on average with an experience in using such implant of more than 6 months. Improvement was seen in sound recognition, speech recognition, confidence, daily life, social exchange, and emotional behavior ability at different degrees. The improvement of confidence was very obvious. The speech communication ability of those with a hearing deprivation time longer than 5 years was lower than that of those with a shorter hearing deprivation time. Age and educational level did not influence the efficiency. Cochlear implantation is a cost effective intervention in the postlingually deaf adults. NCIQ test can be used to evaluate the quality of life among postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant recipients in China.