Hearing Preservation After Adult Cochlear Implantation Using the FLEXsoft Electrode

✍ Scribed by Paul Mick; Hosam Amodi; David Shipp; Vincent Lin; Julian Nedzelski; Joseph Chen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 169 KB
• Volume: 121
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0023-852X
• DOI: 10.1002/lary.22285

✦ Synopsis

Background/objective: Hearing Preservation(HP) in the context of cochlear implantation(CI) is indicative of atraumatic insertion and could potentially offer a clinical advantage to performance. However, if residual hearing is lost due to surgical trauma or from natural deterioration, HP that was achieved from the insertion of a short electrode would then compromise any future performance that would have been obtained through a full length implant. Our goal was to determine the degree of HP after implantation with a full-length electrode (the FLEXsoft).

Method: Prospective withinsubject repeated measure study performed on adult CI patients with residual low-frequency hearing performed at a tertiary referral centre between 2008-2010.

Results: Of the 29 included patients, 18 (62%) maintained HP throughout the follow up period (avg 317 days). Lower preoperative hearing threshold levels at 250 Hz were associated with HP.

Conclusion: Low-frequency HP is at least initially possible in patients implanted with the FLEXsoft electrode. Longer follow up is required to determine if results are maintained over time, and if such preservation is in fact advantageous to clinical outcomes.