title: The effects of cochlear implantation on speech perception in older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether significant differences in cochlear implant (CI) performance exist between older and younger CI recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective comparison of audiometric data.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty participants who received CIs at age 70 and older and 48 younger adults implanted between age 18 and 69.
  
  
  METHODS
  Speech outcome scores (Consonant-Nucleus-Consonant words and phonemes and City University of New York Sentence test in quiet and noise).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older participants show significant improvement in speech perception scores after implantation. Although on average they do not perform as well as younger adults, this difference correlates with duration of deafness rather than age. In contrast to younger adults, significant differences in CI performance are seen in older recipients depending on the side of implantation, with those implanted on the right performing better than those implanted on the left.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Postlingually deafened older adults obtained significant speech perception benefits from CIs, although differences in speech outcomes were seen between younger recipients and those implanted after age 70. In older adults considering CIs, hearing benefits appear greater if they are implanted in the right ear.
authors.affiliation: Department of OtolaryngologyRadiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Cameron L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Budenz
authors.forename: Maura K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Cosetti
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Birenbaum
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Babb
authors.forename: Susan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Waltzman
authors.forename: Pamela C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Roehm
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001299:Audiometry; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome