Cause Of Hearing Loss Research Articles

Prevalence and pattern of hearing loss among meningitis survivors in the Pacific Islands: a prospective, observational study protocol

Background Permanent hearing loss is the most common neurological sequelae among meningitis survivors in low- and middle-income countries. It is preventable through the availability and optimal population coverage of immunization programs. The most recent Global Burden of Disease Project reported that mortality and morbidity rates associated with meningitis are in decline in the Pacific Islands. While the report is encouraging, clinical and rehabilitation services for meningitis survivors remain important for regions where immunization delivery is unable to reach optimal levels. The aim of the proposed study is to assess the prevalence and pattern of hearing impairment among meningitis survivors in Samoa, a Polynesian nation of the Pacific Islands. Methods and analysis This will be a prospective observational study design. All patients admitted to Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital with a meningitis diagnosis from January 2021 to December 2022 will be eligible for the study. All meningitis survivors will be referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)/audiology clinic prior to discharge for an ear and hearing assessment. The dependent variables will be otoscopic result and audiometry result for each ear. The independent variables will be age, gender, causal meningitis pathogen, and place of residence (urban/rural/remote). Ethics and conclusions We publish this protocol to facilitate similar research studies, especially among our Pacific Island neighbours. This research protocol may be a useful resource for the development of clinical procedures for routine ENT/audiology assessments for patients following infection with known causes of hearing loss. This study was approved by the Government of Samoa Ministry of Health Ethical Research Committee and the University of Queensland Medical Ethics Research Committee.

Genetic and Non-genetic Workup for Pediatric Congenital Hearing Loss.

Hearing loss is one of the most common concerns for presentation for a geneticist. Presentation prior to the age of one (congenital hearing loss), profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and bilateral hearing loss are sensitive and should raise concern for genetic causes of hearing loss and prompt referral for genetic testing. Genetic testing particularly in this instance offers the opportunity for anticipatory guidance including possible course of the hearing loss over time and also connection and evaluation for additional congenital anomalies that may be associated with an underlying syndrome vs. isolated genetic hearing loss.

Patterns and Correlations of Hearing Loss Among Adolescents, Adults, and Elderly in Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study.

BackgroundAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss (HL) has a significant disease burden with a global prevalence as high a 5% with an expected exponential rise in the coming years. HL has medical, social, and psychological implications on one’s health. A significant proportion of HL cases might be the result of preventable conditions, especially among the young. AimTo estimate the pattern of HL and its correlates among adolescent, adult, and elderly populations in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia.MethodologyA retrospective observational study was carried out between May 2018 and April 2019 across four different ENT clinics located across Saudi Arabia. We included all patients who had a clinical diagnosis of conductive, sensorineural, or mixed HL with varying degrees of severity tested via Pure Tone Audiometer (PTA).ResultsWe included 332 cases with HL, ages ranged from 14 to 62 years old with a mean age of 45.2 ±12.6 years. HL was bilateral in 72% of the cases and was associated with tinnitus in 43.1% of cases. Sensorineural HL was the predominant pattern of HL among the elderly and conductive pattern was more common among the young. Causes such as infections, congenital causes, and age-related damage were among the key causes of HL. ConclusionOur study showed that HL might be more prevalent among the Saudi population than previously reported. Sensorineural HL is most common among the elderly. However, conductive HL following ear infections is the main cause of HL among young. Therefore, there is a need for significant improvement in public health surrounding ear health to prevent reversible causes of HL, especially among the young.

Genetic etiology study of four Chinese families with two nonsyndromic deaf children in succession by targeted next-generation sequencing.

BackgroundGenetic components contribute significantly to the cause of hearing loss. Nonsyndromic hearing loss has been shown to have high genetic heterogeneity. For families who had given birth to two nonsyndromic deaf children in succession, it seems that their deafness was highly related to genetics.ObjectivesThis study aimed to disclose the genetic causes of the subjects from the four Chinese families with two nonsyndromic deaf children in succession who failed to find the genetic etiology of the hearing loss by common deafness genetic screening (GJB2, GJB3, SLC26A4, and MT‐RNR1, including 20 hot variants in 4 genes).MethodsTargeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) of 127 known deafness genes was performed in probands of four families, followed by a series of comprehensive analyses of all family members combined with a literature review of related genes.ResultsWe identified pathogenic variants in three families including c.919‐2A>G/c.1985G>A in SLC26A4; c.109G>A (p.V37I) in GJB2; and m.7505T>C in MT‐TS1. Sanger sequencing confirmed that these variants segregated with the hearing impairment of each family. We also identified c.331C>T/c.625‐5C>T/c.5717G>A in CDH23; c.138T>C in POU3F4 in two families, in which the pathogenicity in clinical was likely pathogenic or unknown.ConclusionsUsing the NGS detection technology, we found the genetic etiology of the HL in part of deaf families. Our study provided a useful piece of information for the variant spectrum of hearing loss in Chinese families with two deaf children in succession.

Evaluasi Pendengaran Pasien Pascatindakan Miringoplasti Berdasarkan Gambaran Audiometri Nada Murni di Rumah Sakit Dr. Hasan Sadikin Bandung

Tympanic membrane perforation is one of the causes of hearing loss and can causerecurrent middle ear infections. Myringoplasty is a procedure for reconstruction of the tympanicmembrane perforation by using a ring in the ear with a complete hearing bone chain, goodmotion, and no pathological tissue in the middle ear. Myringoplasty aims to improve hearingfunction and prevent recurrent infections of the middle ear and inner ear. This study aimed tofind out the hearing characteristics of patients after myringoplasty based on an image of pure tone audiometry in the THT-KL Poli RSHS Bandung period January - December 2016. This is aretrospective descriptive study of patients undergoing myringoplasty. There were 285 new casesof tympanic membrane perforation with an age range of 15-55 years; 153 men (53.7%), 132women (46.3%), 109 (50.27%) patients had an increase in the hearing threshold of 10.1 dB - 20dB, reaching a normal hearing threshold of 249 (87, 4%) patients, and closure of perforationwere 254 (89.1%) patients. In a conclusion, there was a good hearing improvement aftermyringoplasty on tympanic membrane perforation without other abnormalities.
 Keywords: Myringoplasty, perforation of the tympanic membrane, increased hearing threshold.

Prevalence of hearing loss in school aged Nepalese children

ObjectivesThe main objective of this study is to identify the prevalence of hearing loss in school aged children of Nepal. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out on school aged children attending the government run schools of Nepal. A total of 79,340 children from grades 1 through 10 were included in the study. After taking brief history about ear diseases and hearing loss, children were screened for ear diseases in their respective classroom by otoscope. Hearing evaluation was carried out by pure tone audiometer and hearing threshold was obtained at 0.5–4 kHz. The results were then documented and analyzed. ResultsThe prevalence of hearing impairment in school aged children in Nepal is found to be 5.73% (4551 of 79,340). Conductive hearing loss was the most common type of hearing loss and was observed in 70.47% (n = 3207) of the children. ConclusionsThis study shows that hearing loss is a common problem in children of Nepal. With the main cause of hearing loss due to preventable conditions such as chronic otitis media, it is believed that early standardized screening, detection and timely management of chronic otitis media in these children can prevent hearing loss and its impact on their educational, social and language development. School based ear health programs are a useful community-oriented solution for prevention of deafness. It shows how important it is to introduce hearing screening for primary school aged children to prevent hearing loss.

The role of health promotion in the development of ear and hearing health services in the Pacific Islands : A literature review.

The Pacific Islands have among the highest rates of ear disease and hearing loss in the world. Ear and hearing health services are limited in this region; however, a significant proportion of avoidable hearing loss and disability may be addressed through public health promotion activities. In order to develop appropriate hearing health education campaigns and promotion initiatives, knowledge and attitude studies among target population groups are vital. This review aimed to summarize the research literature on knowledge and attitude to ear disease and hearing loss in the Pacific Islands in order to develop appropriate health promotion campaigns for our context in Samoa. PubMed and ScienceDirect databases were searched for relevant journal articles. Key search terms were ‘Pacific Islands’, ‘ear disease’, ‘hearing loss’, ‘knowledge’, ‘attitudes’, and their relevant synonyms. There was no limit on the date of publication. Only one journal article met the review criteria. Parental knowledge and attitude to childhood hearing loss and hearing services in the Solomon Islands was overwhelmingly positive (96%–99.3%). There was high parental awareness of ear disease as a cause of hearing loss among children (94%) and high parental awareness of public health initiatives aimed at reducing ear disease and hearing loss such as routine childhood immunizations (84%) and breastfeeding (76%). Knowledge and attitude studies among key stakeholders are needed to develop appropriate health promotion activities to reduce the preventable causes of hearing loss in the Pacific Islands. Health promotion activities should prioritize major public health issues of ear disease and noise-induced hearing loss.

Arduino-based Digital Advanced Audiometer

The ear is an organ that is able to detect or recognize sound and also has a lot to play in the balance and position of the body. The ears are organs that are very vulnerable to noise. There are two common causes of hearing loss, namely decreased hearing conduction (hearing loss) and nerve hearing (sensorineural hearing loss). To prevent deafness, hearing control is necessary. Generally to test hearing function is done regularly by the ENT doctor at the hospital. This if done many times is deemed ineffective because it is time consuming and requires relatively expensive costs, therefore an early diagnosis of portable hearing loss is designed that is expected to be able to test independently independently over and over again. This tool is equipped with SD Card data storage, where the results of the data can be consulted by a doctor for further diagnosis. This tool uses an arduino uno R3 control, the frequency generator uses IC XR2206. The highest error is at the frequency of 8000 Hz which is 0.52%, but overall all systems on the device are functioning properly and the error is still within tolerance of 10%. From the results of these data, this tool can be recommended for early diagnosis of hearing function.

Early on Set Presbyacusis in Gwagwalada Area Council of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

Background: Presbyacusis is a major cause of hearing loss among seniors. The condition attracts attention following the prediction of World Health Organization that elderly population is expected to hit 1.2 billion by 2025 out of which more than 500 million of them will suffer from sensorineural hearing loss(SHL) worldwide. The studies have shown that this begins to reflect on audiograms as from the third decade, mainly in the high frequencies. Aim/objective: This study evaluated the early on-set presbyacusis at Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal capital territory-Abuja. Method: It was a multi-stage sampling, prospective, cross-sectional study done in FCT, Abuja. Participants from age 20 years and above were recruited into the study after signing informed consent. The presumed risk factors as highlighted in the questionnaire were screened out. Results: Two hundred and two participants were recruited into the study, out of which twelve were excluded from the analysis on account of various exclusion criteria. The age range of the participants was 20 to 79 years, with an average age of 54.8 ± 5.6 years. One hundred and fourteen (60.0%) males and seventy-six (40.0%) females participated in the study. The commonly reported associated symptom was tinnitus. About 32.0% of the participants had moderate sensorineural hearing loss. However, the prevalence of presbyacusis was 28.2% for age below 65 years and 78.8% for 65 years and above. The cumulative prevalence was 54.2%. Conclusion: The study has shown that presbyacusis occur as early as the third decade of life, possibly subclinical before age 65 years. The prevalence was 28.2% before age 65 years and 78.8% from age 65 years, there was a steady increase in percentage of participants with SNHL from age 20 years, and a significant sudden increase from 65 years was observed with a sloping tracing at high frequency.

A study of occupational noise-induced hearing loss using pure tone audiometry in disc jockeys of Bhavnagar

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is caused by repeated exposure to loud sounds over an extended period of time, exposure to very loud impulse sound(s), or a combination of both. Aim and Objective: This study aims to find the magnitude of occupational NIHL in disc jockeys (DJs) of Bhavnagar. Materials and Methods: Thirty professional DJs were compared to same number of healthy controls, who were never exposed to any kind of the occupational noise on the measure of pure tone audiometry as measured by manual recording audiometer “ALPS.” The audiometry parameters were compared in between the two groups and significant difference between hearing threshold for air conduction in both the ears was sought for. The data collection was included personal data, occupational history, history related to other causes of hearing loss, and results of pure tone audiometry. Statistical analysis was done using unpaired t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The findings from this study and the statistical analysis of the data showed a significant difference of hearing threshold in both the ears between the control and study groups at all the frequencies measured. Conclusion: We concluded from this study that DJ players are at high risk for developing occupational NIHL.

ADENOID SIZE IN CHILDREN WITH OTITIS MEDIA WITH EFFUSION.

SUMMARYOtitis media with effusion (OME) is amongst the most common pediatric diseases and the most common cause of hearing loss in children. It is accepted that adenoid hypertrophy (AH) is related to OME incidence. Better understanding of the correlation between the relative size of AH and the incidence of persistent OME may provide evidence to support a more standardized approach to the diagnosis and treatment of OME. A retrospective study carried out between April 2016 and April 2018 collected data on 65 children aged 2-12 years, diagnosed with chronic OME and symptoms of AH, where conservative therapy failed. Pre-diagnostic data were collected from patient history, otoscopy, rhinoscopy, and oropharyngoscopy findings. Diagnostic workup included tympanometry, audiometry, and flexible nasal fiberoptic endoscopy. Adenoid grading was performed according to Cassano method after endoscopic visualization. Of the 65 patients, 37 were male and 28 were female. There was no statistically significant difference according to gender or average age. The highest incidence of persistent OME with AH was recorded in the youngest age groups (2-5 and 6-9 years). The most frequent AH grades were grade II (35.38%) and grade III (50.77%), yielding a statistically significant result. The most common presenting symptoms were hearing impairment, snoring, and nasal obstruction (100%, 64.62% and 60%, respectively). Higher AH grades are critical for persistence of OME and may cause conservative therapy failure.

Identification of Hearing Loss-Associated Variants of PTPRQ, MYO15A, and SERPINB6 in Pakistani Families.

The inner ear is an essential part of a well-developed and well-coordinated hearing system. However, hearing loss can make communication and interaction more difficult. Inherited hearing loss (HL) can occur from pathogenic genetic variants that negatively alter the intricate inner ear sensory mechanism. Recessively inherited forms of HL are highly heterogeneous and account for a majority of prelingual deafness. The current study is designed to investigate genetic causes of HL in three consanguineous Pakistani families. After IRB approval, the clinical history and pure tone audiometric data was obtained for the clinical diagnosis of HL segregating in these three Pakistani families. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) followed by Sanger sequencing in order to identify and validate the HL-associated pathogenic variants, respectively. The 3-D molecular modeling and the Ramachandran analysis of the identified missense variants were compiled to evaluate the impact of the variants on the encoded proteins. Clinical evaluation revealed prelingual severe to profound sensorineural HL segregating among the affected individuals in all three families. Genetic analysis revealed segregation of several novel variants associated with HL, including a canonical splice-site variant (c.55-2A>G) of PTPRQ in family GCFHL-01, a missense variant [c.1079G>A; p.(Arg360Gln)] of SERPINB6 in family LUHL-01, and an insertion variant (c.10208-10211insCCACCAGGCCCGTGCCTC) within MYO15A in family LUHL-011. All the identified variants had very low frequencies in the control databases. The molecular modeling of p.Arg360Gln missense variant also predicted impaired folding of SERPINB6 protein. This study reports the identification of novel disease-causing variants in three known deafness genes and further highlights the genetic heterogeneity of HL in Pakistani population.

Potential cause of hearing loss from Cis-platin

Potential cause of hearing loss from Cis-platin

Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Post-lingually Deaf Patients.

Cochlear implantation has been mentioned as the most effective therapeutic intervention in deaf patients and especially those with post-lingual deafness. We aimed to assess hearing improvement of post-lingually deaf patients after cochlear implantation. in this cross-sectional study all the post-lingually deaf patients who had undergone cochlear implantation (CI) surgery between December 2010 and February 2016 were assessed. Patients were recalled and after explaining the study process and signing an informed consent form, an audiometry was done by a single audiologist. In addition, demographic information, cause of hearing loss, age of onset, history of hearing aid use and surgical complications were recorded in a pre-designed checklist. Twenty-nine male and 21 female with a mean age of 22.52±19.45 years underwent analysis. Most of patients (80%) had progressed condition since childhood. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) was the most prevalent (10%) known etiology of deafness followed by meningitis (6%), Trauma (2%) and ototoxic drugs (2%) in the remaining 20% of the patients. Patients had the highest mean (37.1±12.61 dB) in 4000 Hz frequency and the lowest mean of hearing threshold level (32.6±8.37 dB) was for 1000 Hz frequency. Mean hearing threshold level was significantly lower in patients with lower ages of cochlear implantation (p=0.435). Patients with higher ages of deafness onset showed lower degree of hearing improvement (p=0.462). The results of our study suggest that cochlear implantation significantly improves hearing function of post-lingual patients and can be considered as a certain cure for these patients in Iran.

A clinico-epidemiological study of hearing loss in adult patients presenting to a tertiary healthcare center in India

Background: The objectives of the study are: 1. To determine the profile of patients presenting with hearing loss. 2. To determine the causes of hearing loss in adult patients of various age groups. The cases for the study comprised of adult patients aged &gt;/=20years, presenting to the ENT Out-patient Department with complaint of hearing loss. Detailed history thorough ENT examination including Examination of the ear, nose and throat with Bull’s eye lamp, Otoscopic/Otomicroscopic/Otoendoscopic examination with photo-documentation of the ear status when required, tuning fork tests, and a battery of audiological tests including pure-tone audiometry, impedance audiometry and Brain-stem Evoked Response audiometry (when required) were conducted and the reports of the same were enclosed with the Pro forma of the patients. Results and Discussion: Hearing loss is more common in old age and more male patients presented with hearing loss. The most common symptom seen with hearing loss was tinnitus which was commonly ringing type and this was commonly seen in older patients associated with sensori-neural hearing loss. The most common type of hearing loss was sensori-neural hearing loss seen more commonly in older patients and associated with tinnitus. The definitive diagnosis for patients with sensori-neural hearing loss was difficult to specify with the most common diagnosis being presbyacusis, followed by noise induced hearing loss. The second common diagnosis was Chronic Otitis Media(COM).

A clinical study to determine the effects of adenoidectomy in cases of secretory otitis media in school going children

Introduction: Secretory Otitis media (SOM) is the leading cause of hearing loss in children. Despitenumerous studies on the prevention and treatment of SOM during the past decades, itsmanagement remains challenging and controversial. A study was conducted to find the effect ofadenoidectomy in cases of SOM with hypertrophied adenoids and to determine the effect ofadenoidectomy on hearing as assessed by the pure tone and impedance audiometry. Material andMethods: Children aged 5 – 12 years, diagnosed as SOM with adenoid hypertrophy were included.The study was conducted from April 2019 to May 2020, in the department of ENT, GSL MedicalCollege. A detailed history and clinical examination were done. Investigations such as pure toneaudiogram, impedance audiometry, X-ray nasopharynx, and diagnostic nasal endoscopy were carriedout to confirm the diagnosis. Results: Out of the 50 participants, a maximum (60%) belonged tothe 5 – 7 years age group, the male-female ratio was 1.2. Hard of hearing was a common symptomin 66%, tonsillitis, and sinusitis in 36% and 18% respectively. On pure tone audiometry, the averagehearing loss was 24.95dB. Conclusion: Adenoidectomy in children having hypertrophied adenoidswith SOM, not only relieves Eustachian tube obstruction but also removes the source of infection.This leads to clearance of middle ear effusion and improvement in hearing postoperatively.

Does Drilling Induce Hearing Loss after Modified Radical Mastoidectomy? A Retrospective Study

Introduction Incidence of sensory neural hearing loss following mastoid surgery varies from 1.2 – 4.5%.There are various causes for postoperative sensorineural hearing loss during mastoid surgery. This study aims to identify whether there is any correlation between drilling and postoperative sensory neural hearing loss.&#x0D; MethodsA retrospective study was conducted in the Department of ENT from January 2018 to June 2019. A total number of 68 patients above five years of age who underwent modified radical mastoidectomy for chronic otitis media squamous were included. Revision surgery, preoperative sensorineural hearing loss, injury to the ossicular chain during surgery, patients with lack of follow up or doubtful reports in mentally challenged were excluded from the study. The average bone conduction threshold was calculated from 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.&#x0D; ResultsThere were 43 males and 25 females in the study with a median age of 23.5 years (16-55). The mean preoperative bone conduction threshold in the four frequencies of 500 Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz were -2.06dB, -2.06dB, 3.31dB, 4.63 dB respectively and the mean postoperative bone conduction thresholds were 1.03, 1.32, 5.29, 4.04 respectively. There was a decline of mean of 3.09 dB and 3.38dB only at the low-frequencies (500Hz and 1kHz) BC threshold respectively which were statistically significant, whereas at higher frequency there was no decline in average postoperative BC threshold.&#x0D; ConclusionThere is no definite role of drill in inducing hearing loss and if present other causes of hearing loss should be sought in postoperative sensorineural hearing loss.

Does Drilling Induce Hearing Loss after Modified Radical Mastoidectomy? A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Incidence of sensory neural hearing loss following mastoid surgery varies from 1.2 – 4.5%. There are various causes for postoperative sensorineural hearing loss during mastoid surgery. This study aims to identify whether there is any correlation between drilling and postoperative sensory neural hearing loss. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Department of ENT from January 2018 to June 2019. A total number of 68 patients above five years of age who underwent modified radical mastoidectomy for chronic otitis media squamous were included. Revision surgery, preoperative sensorineural hearing loss, injury to the ossicular chain during surgery, patients with lack of follow up or doubtful reports in mentally challenged were excluded from the study. The average bone conduction threshold was calculated from 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: There were 43 males and 25 females in the study with a median age of 23.5 years (16-55). The mean preoperative bone conduction threshold in the four frequencies of 500 Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 4kHz were -2.06dB, -2.06dB, 3.31dB, 4.63 dB respectively and the mean postoperative bone conduction thresholds were 1.03, 1.32, 5.29, 4.04 respectively. There was a decline of mean of 3.09 dB and 3.38dB only at the low-frequencies (500Hz and 1kHz) BC threshold respectively which were statistically significant, whereas at higher frequency there was no decline in average postoperative BC threshold. Conclusion: There is no definite role of drill in inducing hearing loss and if present other causes of hearing loss should be sought in postoperative sensorineural hearing loss.

The Immediate Effects of Pulse Steroid versus Common Steroid therapy in Patients with SSNHL

Introduction: In this study we aimed to review immediate effects of pulse steroid therapy versus common steroid therapy in patients with idiopathic Sudden Sensory- Neural Hearing Loss. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study 50 patients with SSNHL in less than 24 hours before referral were involved. The causes of hearing loss should be rejected and if the cause was identified, the patient would be excluded. Pulse therapy group received Methyl Prednisolone 10 mg /kg for three days and then continued by prednisolone 1 mg /kg for ten days and common therapy group received prednisolone 1 mg /kg for ten days. Average hearing threshold of the patients in frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Htz, average SDS of patients and patient recovery was compared between two groups based on hearing tests and guidelines. Results: Fifty patients with average of 46 ±15.69 years were studied. There was no significant difference in average of hearing threshold in different frequencies and SDS between two groups. Mean hearing recovery was 10.69 db in common steroid group and it was 13.51 db in pulse steroid group. Although the mean of hearing recovery was higher in the pulse steroid group compare the common steroid group, there was no significant difference in hearing recovery after the treatment between two groups. Conclusion: According to the results pulse steroid is not preferable rather than common steroid therapy in terms of immediate therapeutic effects on SSNHL.

Cochlear Implantation in the Active Duty Military Population: A Survey Assessing Military Readiness and Satisfaction.

Evaluate the impact of cochlear implantation (CI) on retention for United States active duty (AD) service members. Retrospective observational study. Tertiary military CI centers. AD service members who underwent CI and completed a telephonic survey. The ability for military personnel to maintain AD status following CI as determined by the nonvolitional hearing-related AD separation rate and whether subjects would recommend CI to other qualified candidates. Twenty AD service members who underwent CI between 2004 and 2020 completed a telephonic survey. Fifteen (75%) were single-sided deafness (SSD) and five were traditional CI candidates. The mean age was 40.3 years (range 27.5-64.3), 19 (95%) were male, and 12 (80%) were Caucasian. Ten (50%) were officers and 14 (70%) were noncombat support personnel. Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss was the most common cause of hearing loss (8, 40%) followed by occupational noise exposure (4, 20%). Sixteen (80%) maintained AD status yielding 46.15 person-years of AD service following CI. For SSD, 14 (93%) maintained AD status yielding 40.54 person-years of AD service. The nonvolitional hearing-related patient separation rate for CI recipients with bilateral hearing loss was 35.65 cases per 100 AD person-years and 0 cases per 100 person-years for SSD candidates. Nineteen (95%) stated they would recommend CI to other AD CI candidates. The vast majority of AD CI recipients, and particularly those with SSD, are able to remain on AD after surgery and report a high degree of satisfaction with their implant.