Distance and Socieoeconomic Status as Barriers to Cochlear Implantation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the distance burden for access to cochlear implant (CI)-related services and to assess whether socioeconomic disadvantage or level of education and occupation influenced uptake of CIs. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case review. SETTING: A CI services provider operating across multiple centers. PATIENTS: All patients undergoing CI surgery in a 2-year period between March 2018 and February 2020. INTERVENTIONS: Diagnosis of hearing loss, CI surgery, and subsequent habilitation and mapping. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Distance traveled by patients to their audiological diagnostic, CI surgery hospital, and habilitation sites; subjects' index of relative socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) and index of education and occupation (IEO). RESULTS: n = 201 children and n = 623 adults. There was a significant difference across IRSAD domains for children (p < 0.0001) and adults (p < 0.0001), and IEO in children (p = 0.015) and adults (p < 0.0001) when tested for equal proportions. The median driving distance from home to the diagnostic audiological site for children was 20 km (mean, 69 km; range, 1-1184 km; upper quartile, 79 km; lower quartile, 8 km). There was no significant difference between the driving distances from home to the CI surgery hospital site, or the mapping/habilitation sites between children and adults. There was no correlation for age at first surgery and either IRSAD/IEO. CONCLUSIONS: The burden of distance for access to CI in Australia is significant for the upper quartile who may not live within the large city centers. Greater consideration needs to be given regarding barriers to CI for those in lower socioeconomic and educational groups to ensure equity of access across different socioeconomic and educational level backgrounds.

Sociodemographic Disparities in Pediatric Cochlear Implantation Access and Use: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric cochlear implantation (CI) is a multistep process, which exposes a healthcare system's potential weaknesses in ability to deliver timely care to deaf children. The current systematic review aims to determine the sociodemographic disparities that predict pediatric CI access and use among CI candidates and recipients across the world. We hypothesize that sociodemographic factors independently influence CI access and use within a given country. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review. METHODS: A qualitative systematic review of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases was conducted for studies investigating the association of sociodemographic factors such as race, income, or insurance status with measures of pediatric CI access, such as age at CI or CI rate. RESULTS: Out of 807 unique abstracts initially retrieved, 39 papers were included in the final qualitative systematic review. Twenty-seven thousand seven hundred and fifty-one CI-candidate children (6,623 CI recipients) were studied in 14 countries, with 21 studies conducted in the United States of America, published within the years of 1993 to 2020. CONCLUSION: Some measures of CI access, such as age at CI and rates of CI, are consistently reported in the CI disparities literature while others such as access to rehabilitation services, willingness to undergo CI, and daily CI use are rarely measured. There are persistently reported disparities in a few key measures of CI access in a few populations, while there are some populations with a paucity of data. Future studies should delineate the nuances in the mechanisms of disparities by conducting multivariable analysis of representative sample data. Laryngoscope, 132:670-686, 2022.

Effect of initial switch-on within 24 hours of cochlear implantation using slim modiolar electrodes.

Reducing electrode impedance is an important factor in improving the functional benefits of cochlear implants (CIs). The immediate effect of early switch-on within 24 h of surgery on impedance among CI recipients with various types of electrodes has been reported previously; however, the immediate change and the evolution of electrode impedances of slim modiolar electrodes after early switch-on within 24 h of implantation has not. Therefore, the focus of this retrospective cohort study of CI patients was to compare the effect of early switch-on (n = 36) and conventional switch-on (n = 72) 2-4 weeks post-operation on impedance. Compared with impedance measured intraoperatively, our results demonstrate a significant decrease in impedance from 11.5 to 8.9 kΩ (p < 0.001) at 2-4 weeks after implantation in the early switch-on group, which sharply contrasted with elevated impedance values for conventional switch-on 2-4 weeks after implantation (from 10.7 to 14.2 kΩ, p = 0.001). Notably, a comparatively lower impedance than the conventional switch-on protocol was observed for up to 2 months post-operation. Most importantly, a much earlier stabilization of impedance can be achieved with the early switch-on protocol coupled with the slim modiolar electrode array compared to the conventional switch-on protocol, offering the advantage of reducing the number of required mapping sessions in the early stages of rehabilitation.

Impact on patients of the coronovirus disease 2019 pandemic and postponement of cochlear implant surgery: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and postponement of elective surgical procedures for profoundly deaf patients awaiting cochlear implantation. METHOD: Open-ended questionnaires were sent to all adult patients awaiting cochlear implantation surgery. Qualitative analysis was performed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Participants described a primarily negative impact on wellbeing from the surgery delay, expressing feelings of isolation or loneliness. Low mood, depression or hopelessness were commonly expressed by elderly participants; frustration and anxiety were described by young adults. Participants described a negative impact on their general daily life, describing difficulties communicating with facemasks and struggles with reliance on telephone communication because of social distancing. Despite these significant psychosocial challenges, only a minority described adaptive coping strategies. DISCUSSION: Profoundly deaf patients may be at greater psychosocial risk because of unique challenges from their hearing disability. Our findings can be used to develop evidence-driven strategies to improve communication, wellbeing and quality of life.

Cochlear Implant Outcomes in Prelingually Deafened Adults with and without Sound Deprivation: Are There Differences in Quality of Life?

BACKGROUND Indications for cochlear implantation (CI) are constantly being updated, and with them, the audiometric results achieved by patients. Patient satisfaction should always be considered, even in patients with lower audiological results. The aim of the present study was to compare quality of life (QoL), self-perceived hearing benefit, and audiometric results between prelingually and postlingually deafened patients, with and without sound deprivation, after CI. MATERIAL AND METHODS The sample included 46 patients with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss: 22 postlingually deafened and 24 prelingually deafened, further subdivided into sound-deprived (n=10) and non-sound-deprived (n=14). Auditory performance was evaluated with pure tone audiometry, speech recognition scores (SRS), and self-perceived hearing benefit, whereas QoL was evaluated with 2 self-reported questionnaires (Comprehensive Cochlear Implant Questionnaire and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF). RESULTS Audiometric results were worse in the prelingually deafened than in the postlingually deafened group, and worse in the prelingually deafened patients with sound deprivation. There was no marked difference in perceived CI benefit or QoL between the 2 groups or within the 2 prelingually deafened subgroups. No correlation was found between SRS and duration of CI use or between QoL and SRS in the prelingually and postlingually deafened groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate better auditory performance for the postlingually deafened group and no differences in perceived QoL or benefit of CI between the groups. The sound-deprived patients had equal scores on the perceived QoL questionnaire. These analyses suggest that sound-deprived, prelingually deafened patients may benefit from CI.

Speech Recognition as a Function of Age and Listening Experience in Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Speech recognition with a cochlear implant (CI) tends to be better for younger adults than older adults. However, older adults may take longer to reach asymptotic performance than younger adults. The present study aimed to characterize speech recognition as a function of age at implantation and listening experience for adult CI users. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. METHODS: A retrospective review identified 352 adult CI recipients (387 ears) with at least 5 years of device listening experience. Speech recognition, as measured with consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) words in quiet and AzBio sentences in a 10-talker noise masker (10 dB signal-to-noise ratio), was reviewed at 1, 5, and 10 years postactivation. RESULTS: Speech recognition was better in younger listeners, and performance was stable or continued to improve through 10 years of CI listening experience. There was no indication of differences in acclimatization as a function of age at implantation. For the better performing CI recipients, an effect of age at implantation was more apparent for sentence recognition in noise than for word recognition in quiet. CONCLUSIONS: Adult CI recipients across the age range examined here experience speech recognition benefit with a CI. However, older adults perform more poorly than young adults for speech recognition in quiet and noise, with similar age effects through 5 to 10 years of listening experience. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:2106-2111, 2021.

Pneumococcal vaccination coverage among adults aged 19 to 64 years with immuno-compromising conditions, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, or cochlear implants in the US.

Background: Adults with immuno-compromising conditions, CSF leaks, or cochlear implants are at increased risk for pneumococcal disease (high-risk patients), yet pneumococcal vaccination rates in the US for this group are low.Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted from 2010 to 2018 using the Truven Health MarketScan database to estimate pneumococcal vaccination coverage among adults aged 19 to 64 years newly diagnosed with high-risk conditions, and to assess factors associated with receiving the recommended pneumococcal vaccines.Results: The study sample included 2,497,799 adults aged 19 to 64 years old with newly diagnosed high-risk conditions. Most of the study cohort had seven or more annual physician office (52%) and pharmacy (56%) visits. The proportion of high-risk adults who received at least one pneumococcal vaccination increased from 5.4% after 1 year of follow-up to 14.2% after 6 years of follow-up. Compared to those who received no pneumococcal vaccination, high-risk adults who received any pneumococcal vaccination were more likely to be older, female, enrolled in an HMO, had more healthcare encounters, and were treated by a primary care provider.Conclusion: Despite numerous healthcare encounters annually, very few high-risk adults received pneumococcal vaccines, highlighting the need for implementing targeted interventions to increase vaccine uptake in this vulnerable population.

Cochlear implants in Japan: Results of cochlear implant reporting system over more than 30 years.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a longitudinal national survey of cochlear implantation (CI) in Japan from 1985 through 2017. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of adult and pediatric CI cases from 1985 to 2017 using the Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan CI registration database was conducted. Surgical statistics were obtained, including number of surgeries, age, implanted side, facilities, and preoperative threshold levels for CI. RESULTS: Since 1985, more than 11,100 CI surgeries have been conducted in Japan. The number exceeded 500 in 2005 and 1,000 in 2015. Since 2007, pediatric cases consistently surpassed adult cases until 2016. More facilities meet criteria for conducting CI as determined by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and have now reached more than 100. Adult patients over 70 years old have become proportionally higher. Age at implantation steadily reduced in accordance with modifications of Japanese CI guidelines for children but is still not comparable to that in other developed countries. Although the number of CI surgeries for patients with moderate to severe hearing loss increased in the past ten years, the proportion was small. CONCLUSIONS: The CI database in Japan is quite unique in that it documents almost all the CI surgeries in Japan, allowing us to summarize the present situation as follows: fewer CI surgeries occur than are necessary, and children receiving implants are older than those in other developed countries. Continuous improvement of CI awareness is needed in Japan.

Comparison of Speech Performance in Bimodal versus Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether listening with two cochlear implants (bilateral) offers significant benefits in terms of speech perception over listening with one cochlear implant and one hearing aid (bimodal). METHODS: Retrospective review of bilateral cochlear implant recipients (24 pediatric and 26 adult). Bimodal listening was compared to bilateral listening in terms of speech perception performance at 1-year post second implant under three listening conditions: 50 dBHL, 35 dBHL, and 50 dBHL+5 SNR. Changes in speech performance from bimodal (before second implant) to bilateral (after second implant) listening were determined within subjects and compared to a separate control group of bimodal users matched for age of first implantation who never received a second implant (10 pediatric and 20 adult). RESULTS: In the pediatric group, compared to bimodal listening prior to a second implant, speech perception scores with bilateral implants increased significantly when measured at 50 dBHL, 35 dBHL, and 50 dBHL+5 SNR. By contrast, pediatric bimodal controls who never received a second implant failed to demonstrate similar improvement over 1 year's time. In the adult group, compared to bimodal listening prior to a second implant, speech perception scores with bilateral implants increased when measured at 50 dBHL, but were not significantly different at 35 dBHL and 50 dBHL + 5 SNR. Adult bimodal controls who never received a second implant failed to demonstrate significant improvement in all conditions over 1 year's time. CONCLUSION: Bilateral listening with two cochlear implants improved speech perception performance relative to bimodal listening in the pediatric population. Improvement in the adult population was not as significant. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4, Retrospective Chart Review. Laryngoscope, 131:E1322-E1327, 2021.

Electrophysiological effects of slim straight intracochlear electrode position.

OBJECTIVE: The electrical current distribution of a cochlear implant electrode within the cochlea is essential for post-operative hearing performance. The slim straight electrode is designed to enable the placement of contacts in a lateral or medial direction to the modiolus. The electrophysiological effect of this different contact direction is so far unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of intracochlear laterally or medially directed electrode contacts on electrophysiological behaviour. METHOD: A slim straight electrode was inserted into the cochleae of five patients, and the neural response threshold was measured in a laterally and medially directed contact position. The cochleae in five temporal bone specimens were de-capped allowing an insertional observation of the contact position (lateral versus medial) of the electrode. RESULTS: There was no difference in neural response threshold between a lateral and a medial position of the contacts. Temporal bone study indicated no intracochlear torsion of the electrode. CONCLUSION: Our study provides evidence that the intracochlear position of slim straight electrode contacts does not affect the neural response threshold.

The French Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Perception and language results in infants with cochlear implantation under the age of 24 months.

OBJECTIVE: Multi-centre study of the National French Registry (EPIIC) of patients with cochlear implants, focusing on infants who were operated-on under the age of 24 months between 2012 and 2016. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 615 profoundly deaf infants, who received cochlear implants (CIs) before their second birthday, were included in the registry by different CI centers. Epidemiological, surgical, speech therapy and school, follow-up data were included in the registry, 12, 24, 36 and 48 months thereafter. The following parameters were studied: type of implantation (uni- or bilateral), complications, cause of deafness, category of auditory perception (CAP), Open-set word recognition score (OSW), speech intelligibility rating, lexical comprehension with EVIP (Peabody), communication mode and type of schooling. Bilateral simultaneous CI (BiCI) and unilateral CI (UniCI) groups were compared. RESULTS: There were 744 implantations. The explantation-reimplantation rate, within the four-year follow-up, was just 3.6%. Mean implantation age was 16.0 months, and similar in the two groups (BiCI/UniCI). A total of 51% of children had their first implant between 12 and 18 months, and 15% before 12 months. Implantation was unilateral in 52% of cases. Fifty-six percent of the bilateral procedures were sequential, with a mean delay of 16.8 months for the second implantation. The cause of deafness was unknown in 52% of cases. Of the 48% (297/615) of attributed cases, 32% had clear genetic causes. The remaining deafness was due to cytomegalovirus (CMV, 8%), inner-ear malformation (5%) and meningitis (3%). The main complications were from infections (47%) and internal device failure (25%). Four years post-operation, 84% of the UniCI and 75% of BiCl groups had a CAP≥5, and 83% of UniCl and 100% BiCI had OSW≥80%. Furthermore 74% of UniCI and 77% of BiCI communicated orally and 85% of UniCI and 90% of BiCI integrated into mainstream schooling. CONCLUSION: The French Registry of cochlear implants (EPIIC) is the only such national registry in the world. Our analysis illustrates the immediate benefits of, either single or double, cochlear implantation for language, perception skills and schooling.

Benefits of Cochlear Implantation in Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays cochlear implantation (CI) is the treatment of choice in adults in case conventional hearing devices fail. Besides speech perception, an improvement in quality of life and in cognitive performance has been reported. Thereby, the study focused on the impact of age. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Thirty middle-aged (MA) between 50 and 64 years and 41 older subjects (OA) aged 65 and older with bilateral severe hearing loss performed a comprehensive computer-based neurocognitive test battery (ALAcog) pre- and 12 months post-implantation. Besides, monosyllabic speech perception in quiet (Freiburg monosyllabic speech test), health-related quality of life (HR-QoL, Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire) and depressive symptoms (GDS-15) have been assessed. RESULTS: Both age groups significantly improved in all three categories after 12 months. No differences were evaluated between MA and OA regarding speech perception and HR-QoL pre- and post-operatively. In contrast, cognitive performance differed between the age groups: pre-operatively OA performed worse in most neurocognitive subdomains like working memory (p=0.04), inhibition (p=0.004), processing speed (p=0.003) and mental flexibility (p=0.01), post-operatively MA outperformed OA only in inhibition (p=0.01). Age only slightly influenced cognitive performance in MA, whereas in OA age per se tremendously impacted on working memory (p=0.04), inhibition (p=0.02), memory (p=0.04) and mental flexibility (p=0.01). Educational level also affected processing speed, mental flexibility (p=0.01) and working memory (p=0.01). This was more pronounced in OA. In both age groups, hearing status had a strong effect on attentional tasks (p=0.01). In MA, depressive symptoms were more influential on cognitive functioning and on HR-QoL than in OA. Improvement in quality of life (p=0.0002) and working memory (p=0.001) was greater for those with a higher pre-operative depression score. CONCLUSION: Speech perception and HR-QoL improved in hearing impaired, independently of age. Pre-operative differences in cognitive performance between OA and MA clearly attenuated 12 months after CI. Impact of comorbidities differed between age groups.

The French Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): General indicators.

Cochlear and brainstem implants have been included on the list of reimbursable products (LPPR) in France since March of 2009. The implants were initially inscribed for 5 years, after which an application for renewal with the French National Commission for the Evaluation of Medical Devices and Health Technologies (Commission Nationale d'évaluation des dispositifs médicaux et des technologies de santé - CNEDiMTS) was required [Haute Autorité de santé, 2009]. Upon registration to the list of reimbursable products, the companies and the reference centers for cochlear and brainstem implants were asked to set up a post-registration registry called EPIIC. This article reports the evolution in the EPIIC registry of the general indicators for 5051 patients over the five years from 2012-2016.

The French National Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Results, quality of life, questionnaires, academic and professional life.

This study concerns the results of cochlear implantation in children and adults from French cochlear implantation centers, monitored at one, two and three years by the Cochlear Implant French Registry EPIIC. This multicenter study enrolled 2603 subjects (1667 adults and 936 children) implanted in one ear. The following parameters were studied: hearing overall performances, monosyllabic or dissyllabic word perception, speech intelligibility, self-assessment questionnaire of Cochlear Implant (CI) benefits (Abbreviated profile of Hearing aid Benefit); professional activity and schooling. This study confirms the ceiling effect in adults' performances after the 1st year and the progressive growth in children's performances. It also shows that the contralateral hearing aid enhances performances compared to the CI alone condition, in all follow-up sessions. The French register of CIs is the only worldwide register of systematic follow-up on a period of three years and more of all adults and children implanted in a country.

The French National Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Cochlear implantation in adults over 65years old.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the performance of cochlear implants in French patients aged 65 and over, implanted between 2012 and 2016, using data from the French national registry for cochlear implants (EPIIC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The French national registry incorporates patient data from before implantation and for three years after implantation, stratified in different age groups (18-39, 40-64years, 65-74years and>75years). Here, we assessed the latter two categories. Hearing was assessed using mono- and disyllabic words in a silent background. The Category of Auditory Performance (CAP) scale was also implemented and subjects took the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (Aphab) questionnaire. RESULTS: The population aged over 65 accounted for 38% (n=1193) of the 3178 adult implanted patients. The performance for mono- and disyllabic words in silence, the CAP scores and the APHAB questionnaire answers for ease of communication, background noise and reverberation were dramatically improved at one year post-implantation (P<0.0001 for each score) and remained stable between one and three years thereafter. The percentage improvement was similar across all age groups. The scores for loud-noise intolerance did not change after cochlear implantation in any age group. CONCLUSION: Cochlear implants improve hearing and communication in subjects aged 65 and over, with comparable efficiency to that achieved in younger subjects. Cochlear implantation should thus be proposed whenever hearing aids provide only limited benefit. However, between 2012 and 2016, cochlear implantation was given to less than 1% of the French population aged 65 and over with profound deafness.

The French National Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Cochlear explantation and reimplantation.

This study aims to determine the frequency and causes of cochlear explants with re-implantation (ERI) after 5 years' follow up of the patients included in the French national EPIIC (étude post-inscription des implants cochléaires) registry tracking patients with cochlear implantation. This multicenter, descriptive prospective study was conducted on 5051 patients enrolled in the EPIIC database between January 2012 and December 2016. Ninety-five patients (1.9%) received a primary implant and an ERI during the study. Of these, four benefitted from two ERIs. The number of ERIs was significantly higher in the pediatric population than among adults. The explantation and reimplantation were performed simultaneously in 86% of cases. The reasons for explantation were: in 46.4% of cases linked to a malfunction of the implant, and in 39.3% of cases for medical or surgical reasons. The number of electrodes inserted was significantly higher after the ERI than after the first implantation. There was just one post-ERI infection for these 95 explanted and re-implanted patients. As well as explantation with reimplantation rarely being necessary, it generally presents no major surgical difficulty and in most cases it allows a better integration than in the first implantation.

The French National Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Bilateral cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVES: Assessment of the incidence and results of bilateral cochlear implantation in adults and children in France. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multicenter retrospective study of data in the French national registry of cochlear implantations from January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2016. Functional results from CAP (Category of Auditory Performance) questionnaires and speech audiometry tests, with mono- and di-syllabic word-lists, were compared before and after implantation. Speech audiometry tests were carried out against a noisy background, except before simultaneous implantations. RESULTS: Nine hundred and forty two bilateral cochlear implantations were performed during this period, that is, 16.4% of all cochlear implantations. Five hundred and eighty eight bilateral implantations were performed sequentially. 59% of the bilateral implantations were performed in children. Bilateral implants significantly improved CAP scores in all cases (P<0.001). Auditory performance, with the two types of word-list, were significantly improved after simultaneous implantation (P<0.01). After sequential implantation, the speech discrimination score, already very good with the first implant, reached 63±26% [0-100] with monosyllabic word lists, and 72±28% [0-100] with dissyllabic words. There were more complications due to surgery in bilateral cases than in the entire population of cochlear recipients (9.1% vs 6.4%, P<0.02). CONCLUSION: Hearing is significantly improved by simultaneous cochlear implantation. For sequential implantation, at one year, when auditory results were already excellent from the first implant, in the bimodal condition CAP scores were significantly improved, although there was no further change in speech audiometry in noise.

The French Cochlear Implant Registry (EPIIC): Cochlear implant candidacy assessment of off-label indications.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate in France the outcomes of cochlear implantation outside the selection criteria, off-label. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study including adults and children having received a cochlear implant (CI) in an off-label indication, that is outside the criteria established by the "Haute Autorité de santé (HAS)" in 2012. The data was collected from the "EPIIC" registry on recipients who received CIs in France between 2011 and 2014. Speech audiometry was performed at 60dB preimplantation and after one year of CI use, as well as an evaluation of the scores of the quality of life with the APHAB questionnaire, the scores for CAP and the professional/academic status in pre- and post-implantation conditions. Major and minor complications at surgery have been recorded. RESULTS: In total, 590 patients (447 adults and 143 children) with an off-label indication for CIs were included in this study from the EPIIC registry (11.7% of the whole cohort of EPIIC). For adults, the median percentage of comprehension using monosyllabic word lists was 41% in preimplantation condition versus 53% after one year of CI use (P<0.001) and 60% versus 71% in dissyllabic word lists (P<0.001). The CAP scores were 5 versus 6 in pre- and post-implantation conditions respectively (P<0.001) and the APHAB scores were statistically lower after implantation (P<0.001). In the children cohort, the median percentage of comprehension using monosyllabic word lists was 51% in preimplantation condition and 65% after CI (P<0.001), and 48% versus 82% (P<0.001) for dissyllabic word lists. The CAP scores were 5 versus 7 respectively in pre- and post-CI conditions (P<0.001). Thirty-two minor complications (5.4%) and 17 major complications (2.8%) were reported in our panel of off-label indication patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a revision of the cochlear implantation candidacy criteria is necessary to allow more patients with severe or asymmetric hearing loss to benefit from a CI when there is an impact on quality of life despite the use of an optimal hearing aid.