title: Delayed cochlear implantation in adults with prelingual severe-to-profound hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the results of late cochlear implantation in prelingually deaf patients with significant residual hearing loss and to evaluate patient factors relevant to postoperative auditory outcomes in this patient group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of results of cochlear implantation using postoperative speech perception test scores per each condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two subjects with severe to profound hearing loss that developed before the age of 4.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were implanted at a mean age of 24.8 years (range, 16-44) with Nucleus CI24 (n = 18, 56%), Clarion HiRes 90K (n = 11, 34%), and Medel PULSA (n = 3, 10%) device. Details of etiology, duration of deafness, hearing aid history, hearing thresholds before operation, communication mode, and educational environment were investigated. Speech perception tests were performed preoperatively and 12 months after the operation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postoperative speech perception test scores between different options within patient group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : The results showed significant improvement in open set speech perception (sentence) scores after the implantation (mean scores from 7.0 to 46.7, p < 0.05). Preoperative hearing of better ear and preoperative speech perception scores correlated with postoperative performances (r = -0.70 and r = 0.46, respectively, p < 0.05). Education and communication mode were also closely related to postoperative performances. In the group with poorer performances, preoperative hearing thresholds were significantly worse than those with better performances, and a larger portion of those patients attended special schools and used sign language.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that residual auditory capacity in the better ear is an important factor in predicting outcomes after cochlear implantation in patients with prelingual hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Sun
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: In Seok
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Hee Nam
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Won-Sang
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003142:Communication; D003638:Deafness / Q000628:therapy*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013067:Speech Perception; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult