An evaluation of hearing preservation outcomes in routine cochlear implant care: Implications for candidacy.
INTRODUCTION
A retrospective evaluation of pre- and post-operative audiometric data at a single large UK cochlear implant centre over 25 years was undertaken.


METHODS
Analysis of pre-operative hearing levels showed that there was a modest but significant reduction in average pre-operative hearing thresholds among patients referred between 1990 and 2015, particularly in the low frequencies.


OUTCOMES
The proportion of those referred who would meet widely-accepted candidacy criteria for electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS) grew significantly over time but in the period 2011-2015 just 9% of those referred had sufficient residual hearing for EAS. On average, implant recipients lost 20 dB hearing at frequencies ≤1000 Hz as a result of the surgery.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that hearing preservation is now widely achievable, and that both candidacy criteria and referrer education should take into account potential EAS benefit.
['Verschuur|Carl|C|', 'Hellier|William|W|', 'Teo|Chermaine|C|']
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation D000328:Adult D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone D019929:Cochlear Implantation D003054:Cochlear Implants D005260:Female D006309:Hearing D034381:Hearing Loss D006801:Humans D008297:Male D018579:Patient Selection D011184:Postoperative Period D012189:Retrospective Studies D016896:Treatment Outcome
Hearing preservation Cochlear implant Candidacy Electroacoustic hearing Hybrid implant Service evaluation