Home Geriatrics Age Doesn’t Affect Outcome of Revision Cochlear Implantation

Age Doesn’t Affect Outcome of Revision Cochlear Implantation

Restoration in speech perception scores after revision cochlear implantation in younger, older cohorts

FRIDAY, Jan. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Age at revision cochlear implantation does not impact post-revision speech perception performance, according to research published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Margaret T. Dillon, Au.D., from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis to examine whether age at revision cochlear implantation correlates with post-revision speech perception performance. Participants included 14 younger adults (<65 years) and 15 older adults (≥65 years).

The researchers observed a restoration in speech perception scores after revision cochlear implantation compared with the best performance before revision in both cohorts (for younger cohort, mean consonant-nucleus-consonant [CNC] word test scores, 43.9 percent before revision versus 47.7 and 47.6 percent, respectively, at three and six months after revision; for older cohort, mean CNC word test scores, 36.3 percent before revision versus 35.3 and 39.9 percent, respectively, at three and six months after revision; P = 0.40). No interaction was seen between age at revision surgery and speech perception performance at each assessment interval (P = 0.60).

“Advanced age should not be considered a contraindication to revision cochlear implantation,” the authors write.

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