title: Monaural or binaural sound deprivation in postlingual hearing loss: Cochlear implant in the worse ear.
abstract: To determine whether speech recognition scores (SRS) differ between adults with long-term auditory deprivation in the implanted ear and adults who received cochlear implant (CI) in the nonsound-deprived ear, either for hearing aid-assisted or due to rapidly deteriorating hearing loss.
  
  
  
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  
  Speech recognition scores at evaluations (3 and 14 months postimplantation) conducted with CI alone at 60-dB sound pressure level intensity were compared in 15 patients (4 with bilateral severe hearing loss; 11 with asymmetric hearing loss, 7 of which had contralateral hearing aid), all with long-term auditory deprivation (mean duration 16.9 years) (group A), and in 15 other patients with postlingual hearing loss (10 symmetric, 5 asymmetric with bimodal stimulation) (controls, group B).
  
  
  
  Comparison of mean percentage of correctly recognized words on speech audiometry at 3 and 14 months showed improvement within each group (P < 0.05). Between-group comparison showed no significant difference at 3 (P = 0.17) or 14 months (P = 0.46). Comparison of SRSs in group A (bimodal stimulation [n = 7] and binaural sound deprivation [n = 4]) versus group B showed no significant differences at 3 (bimodal stimulation P = 0.16; binaural sound deprivation P = 0.19) or 14 months (bimodal stimulation P = 0.14; binaural sound deprivation P = 0.82).
  
  
  
  Speech recognition scores in monaural and binaural sound-deprived ears did not significantly differ from ears with unilateral cochlear implantation in nonsound-deprived ears when tested with CI alone. Improvement in the implanted worse ear indicates that it could be a potential candidate ear for cochlear implantation even when sound deprived.
  
  
  
  4. Laryngoscope, 126:1905-1910, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dalmasso
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dagna
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lacilla
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montuschi
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba Di
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Ear, Nose, and Throat Department, Città della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Albera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000601:surgery*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013016:Sound; D013067:Speech Perception
keywords: Adults; auditory deprivation; choice of ear; cochlear implant; speech perception