title: Predictability of cochlear implant outcome in families.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine if the performance of the first implanted member of a family predicts the performance of subsequently implanted family members.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-one cochlear implant recipients, each belonging to a family with two or more implanted members, were the subjects of this study. Routine audiometric measurements and age-appropriate speech perception tests were performed pre- and postoperatively. In addition, length of deafness, age at implantation, etiology, and length of device usage were correlated to outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All implant recipients within a family showed improvement postimplantation, and the predictive component between family members was strong. Presence of GJB2 mutations and greater age at implantation were predictive of poorer rehabilitative outcome, while length of device usage was associated with improved speech perception scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On average, if the first implanted family member performs well with a cochlear implant, those following will do well; however, GJB2-related deafness and increased age at implantation are associated with poorer outcome. These findings have important implications for members of families considering cochlear implantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Anil K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lalwani
authors.forename: Cameron L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Budenz
authors.forename: Adam S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Weisstuch
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Babb
authors.forename: J Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Waltzman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; C000607042:GJB2 protein, human; D000072259:Connexin 26