Cognitive function and quality of life in older adult patients with cochlear implants.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of cochlear implant (CI) on speech perception, quality of life (QoL), and cognitive function in profoundly deafened older adults.Design: Longitudinal and cross-sectional cohort study.Study sample: Participants in this study were CI recipients aged 65 years or older (experimental group), CI recipients aged 50 years or younger (control group 1), and normal-hearing participants aged 65 years or older (control group 2).Results: Speech perception significantly improved in both groups of implanted patients (preoperative vs. 1-year median [IQR] sentence recognition: older patients, 0 (0-20) vs. 90 (70-95), p = 0.001; younger patients, 35 (0-50) vs. 90 (80-100), p = 0.001). There were no significant differences in QoL (Glasgow Benefit Inventory) between younger and older patients (median [IQR] overall benefit score, 42 (31-64) vs. 53 (39-69), p = 0.2). Mini-Mental State Examination scores showed no significant differences between elderly CI recipients and normal-hearing participants (median [IQR], 28 (26-28) vs. 28 (27-29), p = 0.5).Conclusions: Cochlear implantation rehabilitation allows the profoundly deafened older adult to lead a QoL comparable to that of a younger patient. The correlation between hearing restoration and cognitive function preservation in older adults suggest a possible role for CI as a useful resource in limiting age-related cognitive decline.

Binaural cochlear implantation after bilateral temporal bone fractures.

In this clinical note we discuss the indications, feasibility, and outcomes of binaural simultaneous cochlear implantation (CI) following bilateral transverse temporal bone (TB) fractures. A 41-year-old male, totally deaf after a bilateral TB fracture, underwent an audiological, electrophysiological, and imaging investigation in order to assess the integrity of the VIIIth cranial nerves. Five months later he received a simultaneous bilateral CI. Speech perception tests were conducted at different time points. A significant advantage by dichotic listening was observed since the beginning of the habilitation program. The patient achieved a 100% word and sentences recognition in quiet at 12 months. His listening skills in noisy conditions were improved by the use of two implants. A CI in TB fractures is feasible if the VIII nerve is intact and the cochlea is spared by the fracture rim. The early timing of the procedure probably contributed to its success by preventing cochlear fibrosis and ossification.

Simultaneous translabyrinthine removal of acoustic neuroma and cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVES: To report of a 65-year-old woman with bilateral Meniere's disease was referred for cochlear implantation (CI) due to severe/profound sensorineural hearing loss. METHODS: During the assessment workup, a vestibular schwannoma in the right ear was found by MR imaging. She underwent a translabyrinthine removal of the acoustic neuroma (AN) with sparing of the cochlear nerve and concurrent ipsilateral CI with a Nucleus Freedom device (Cochlear Ltd., Lane Cove, New South Wales, Australia). RESULTS: Complete removal of the AN was achieved without complications. Neural Response Telemetry (NRT) measurements, which showed poor morphology at the intraoperative tests, rapidly improved after activation, similarly to electrically evoked auditory brainstem responses (E-ABR). The patient reached 100% speech perception performances within 2 months from implantation, in the monaural condition. She was relieved from vertigo spell up to 14 months after the operation. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implantation at the time of acoustic neuroma removal with VIII nerve sparing can be a safe and effective hearing restoration procedure.

Paroxysmal positional vertigo after cochlear implantation.

CONCLUSIONS: We observed 4 cases of paroxysmal positional vertigo (PPV) among 62 cochlear implant (CI) recipients. They occurred in the implanted ear without chronological relation with the surgical procedure or the implant's activation. All of them relapsed within 3 months after an initially successful repositioning maneuver, and finally recovered after the second one. None of the patients showed labyrinthine weakness in the implanted ear. The outbreak of PPV did not affect the patients' speech perception performances. OBJECTIVES: To report and discuss the occurrence of PPV after cochlear implantation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among 32 adult patients who received a Nucleus CI, 4 suffered from PPV on the basis of Dix-Hallpike's maneuvers. After a Semont's repositioning maneuver, recurrences were similarly addressed. An electro-nystagmography (ENG) recording of caloric irrigation tests was obtained once the symptoms subsided. RESULTS: The observed incidence of 12.5% exceeds the figures reported in the literature. No anatomic abnormalities were identified in these patients, nor were any intraoperative or postoperative complications reported. PPV developed 1-12 months after CI surgery in the posterior canal and relapsed within 3 months. ENG showed a normal reflectivity in two patients, while the other two had a significant prevalence of the implanted side. The outcomes of the speech perception tests after CI in all the four patients matched those of their corresponding categories.