The influence of cochlear implant electrode position on performance.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relation between variables related to cochlear implant electrode position and speech perception performance scores in a large patient population.


METHODS
The study sample consisted of 203 patients implanted with a CII or HiRes90K implant with a HiFocus 1 or 1J electrode of Advanced Bionics. Phoneme and word score averages for the 1- and 2-year follow-up were calculated for 41 prelingually deaf and 162 postlingually deaf patients. Analyses to reveal correlations between these performance outcomes and 6 position-related variables (angle of most basal electrode contact, surgical insertion angle, surgical insertion, wrapping factor, angular insertion depth, linear insertion depth) were executed. The scalar location, as an indication for the presence of intracochlear trauma, and modiolus proximity beyond the basal turn were not evaluated in this study. In addition, different patient-specific variables (age at implantation, age at onset of hearing loss, duration of deafness, preoperative phoneme and word scores) were tested for correlation with performance.


RESULTS
The performance scores of prelingual patients were correlated with age at onset of hearing loss, duration of deafness and preoperative scores. For the postlingual patients, performance showed correlations with all 5 patient-specific variables. None of the 6 position-related variables influenced speech perception in cochlear implant patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Although several patient-specific variables showed correlations with speech perception outcomes, not one of the studied angular and linear position-related variables turned out to have a demonstrable influence on performance.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Kim S
KS
van der Marel
Jeroen J
JJ
Briaire
Berit M
BM
Verbist
Tjeerd J
TJ
Muurling
Johan H M
JH
Frijns
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003051:Cochlea / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome