Evaluation of hearing performance in cochlear implant patients

OBJECTIVES: To determine the speech perception levels of cochlear implant patients and to evaluate the possible effects of implant type, duration of deafness, and bacterial meningitis on the patients' hearing performance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A three-section test battery on speech perception was administered to 21 cochlear implant patients (12 males, 9 females; mean age 25 years; range 9 to 40 years). The patients' performance was assessed with respect to single- or multi-channel implant design, duration of hearing loss, and etiologic factors of hearing loss. RESULTS: The overall mean success score was 74.6 (range 49-100). No significant difference was found between patients using single- or multi-channel implants. The mean score of 12 patients whose duration of hearing loss was below the average (8.2 years) was significantly higher than those of nine patients with a longer history of hearing loss (85.7 versus 59.6, p=0.001). Patients with meningitis-associated hearing loss exhibited a significantly lower performance than those presenting with other etiologic factors (61.9 versus 84.1, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and rehabilitation are essential to achieve better performance following cochlear implantation.