title: Hearing preservation cochlear implantation in adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes our experience of cochlear implantation (CI) with hearing preservation in adolescents. Our aim was to determine if hearing preservation is successful in this population, if the preserved hearing is maintained, and what the potential benefit of preserving hearing in this population is.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen profoundly deaf adolescents with preservation of low-frequency hearing (125, 250, and 500 Hz).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve adolescents had a single-sided CI, and two had bilateral CI. All were having their first implantation, and all patients had hearing preservation surgery (soft surgery).
  
  
  METHODS
  Hearing preservation was measured with preoperative and postoperative pure-tone audiograms. Speech audiometry was performed before implantation and at subsequent follow-up appointments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hearing preservation (measurable hearing thresholds) was achieved in 13 of 14 patients. Average follow-up was 2 years 10 months (range, 4 mo-4 yr 9 mo). Three of 13 patients with initial successful hearing preservation had deterioration of their hearing at subsequent follow-up. The addition of naturally preserved hearing to the cochlear implant improved speech audiometry scores compared with using the implants in isolation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that residual hearing can be consistently preserved and maintained in adolescents during the short-/medium-term using a soft surgical technique to insert standard-length electrodes. The potential benefit of preserving residual low-frequency hearing seems to be improvement in speech discrimination in challenging hearing conditions, although larger studies are required.
authors.affiliation: *Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre; †School of Inflammation and Repair, and ‡School of Cancer and Enabling Services, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Iain A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Felton
authors.forename: Morag
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lockley
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melling
authors.forename: Simon K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Kevin M J
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception