Does music perception have an impact on quality of life following cochlear implantation?
CONCLUSIONS
Despite the decrease in listening habits, about half of the patients still enjoy music post implantation. Better quality of sound through the implant improves music enjoyment and contributes to achievement of better postoperative quality of life (QOL).


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate music perception and enjoyment in cochlear implant (CI) users, and to assess their influence on QOL.


METHODS
Sixty-five post-lingually deaf CI recipients were enrolled in this study. A musical questionnaire evaluated musical background, listening habits, and quality of musical sound through the CI. The validated Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) was used to quantify changes in QOL.


RESULTS
Fifty-two patients answered the questionnaires. Listening habits (music enjoyment and hours spent listening to music per week) significantly decreased following implantation when compared with the same parameters before deafness. Nevertheless, 52% of the patients enjoyed music post implantation. The quality of musical sound was rated >50 (0-100 scale) for the adjective pairs 'like-dislike', 'sounds like music-doesn't sound like music' and 'natural-mechanical' by most users. Med-el device users obtained better scores in the adjective pair 'sounds like music-doesn't sound like music' than Cochlear device users. Recipients rating higher scores for quality of sound enjoyed music post implantation and had higher total GBI scores than those rating lower scores.
Lassaletta
Luis
L
Departments of Otolaryngology, La Paz University Hospital. Madrid. Spain. luikilassa@yahoo.com
Castro
Alejandro
A
Bastarrica
Marta
M
Pérez-Mora
Rosa
R
Madero
Rosario
R
De Sarriá
Josefa
J
Gavilán
Javier
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000523:psychology*; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D011788:Quality of Life; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires