Early-deafened adult cochlear implant users: assessment of outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether adults deafened in the prelingual and perilingual stages of speech development realize objective and subjective benefits from cochlear implantation.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of the open-set speech recognition and subjective data such as use and quality of life.


RESULTS
Between 1989 and 1999, 198 deafened adults underwent cochlear implantation at Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. Of these, 44 patients were deafened pre- or perilingually. These subjects were implanted with a Nucleus 22, Nucleus 24 (Cochlear Corporation, Denver, Colorado, USA), or Clarion (Advanced Bionics Corporation, Sylmar, California, USA) device. The average age at implantation was 34 years (range 14-62 years). Significant differences in speech perception, as measured by a composite score of open-set word, phoneme, and sentence recognition, were found among groups who differed by type of education and communication training received in childhood.


CONCLUSIONS
By and large, open-set speech recognition in prelingually and perilingually deafened adults is inferior to that achieved in postlingually deafened adults and varies according to the type of communication training they received. However, cochlear implants have significantly improved the overall communication skills and quality of life in all subgroups of patients.
Kaplan
Daniel M
DM
Cochlear Implant Program, Skull Base/Inner Ear Program, Department of Otolaryngology, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
Shipp
David B
DB
Chen
Joseph M
JM
Ng
Amy H C
AH
Nedzelski
Julian M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D012048:Correction of Hearing Impairment / Q000379:methods; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests / Q000379:methods; D013067:Speech Perception; D013068:Speech Production Measurement; D016896:Treatment Outcome