Is there a best side for cochlear implants in post-lingual patients?

Publication date: Available online 29 July 2017
Source:Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology
Author(s): Maria Stella Arantes Amaral, Thiago A. Damico, Alina S. Gonçales, Ana C.M.B. Reis, Myriam de Lima Isaac, Eduardo T. Massuda, Miguel Angelo Hyppolito
IntroductionCochlear Implant (CI) is a sensory hearing aid capable of restoring hearing in patients with severe or profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.ObjectiveTo evaluate if there is a better side to be implanted in post-lingual patients.MethodsRetrospective longitudinal study. Participants were 40 subjects, of both sex, mean age of 47 years, with post-lingual hearing loss, users of unilateral CI for more than 12 months and less than 24 months, with asymmetric auditory reserve between the ears (difference of 10dBNA, In at least one of the frequencies with a response, between the ears), divided into two groups. Group A was composed of individuals with CI in the ear with better auditory reserve and Group B with auditory reserve lower in relation to the contralateral side.ResultsThere was no statistical difference for the tonal auditory threshold before and after IC. A better speech perception in pre-IC tests was present in B (20%), but the final results are similar in both groups.ConclusionThe CI in the ear with the worst auditory residue favors a bimodal hearing, which would allow the binaural summation, without compromising the improvement of the audiometric threshold and the speech perception.



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