Speech perception in elderly patients following cochlear implantation.
CONCLUSIONS
Elderly patients benefit from cochlear implantation in terms of speech perception and quality of life. Age alone should be no contraindication for implantation.


OBJECTIVE
There have been concerns whether elderly patients may perform poorly after cochlear implantation due to degenerative processes in the central and peripheral auditory systems. The purpose of this study was to analyze the benefits of cochlear implantation in elderly patients in comparison to younger recipients.


METHODS
We examined 26 postlingually deafened adults aged > 65 years who received a cochlear implant at our center regarding preoperative findings, comorbidities, postoperative complications and quality of life. Speech perception was assessed by means of multi- and monosyllabic word recognition and compared to the results obtained by younger patients.


RESULTS
The surgical procedure was well tolerated by all patients without notable perioperative complications. In terms of speech perception, no significant differences between the elderly patients and younger recipients were noted. All patients found that cochlear implantation had a positive impact on their quality of life.
Haensel
Jan
J
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany. jhaensel@ukaachen.de
Ilgner
Justus
J
Chen
Yue-Shih
YS
Thuermer
Christian
C
Westhofen
Martin
M
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome