Poor speech perception after cochlear implantation remains an important clinical problem, even when surgery is technically successful and rehabilitation is adequate. This heterogeneous "poor performer" phenotype can reflect device, electrode, cognitive, central-auditory, or neural factors, alone or in combination....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable clinical change at this time; cell therapy for auditory nerve restoration remains pre-clinical to early investigational, and no established protocol exists for routine patient selection or surgical application.
Cell therapy targeting auditory nerve degeneration could eventually address the subset of cochlear implant users with poor speech outcomes due to reduced nerve survival, representing a potential paradigm shift in cochlear implant candidacy and outcomes management.
- 01Review focuses on cochlear implant recipients with poor speech perception likely linked to auditory nerve degeneration.
- 02Cell therapy approaches examined include stem cells and supporting-cell types delivered near the auditory nerve.
- 03Surgical approach and patient candidate selection criteria are discussed as key translational challenges.
- 04The field is pre-clinical to early translational; no approved cell therapy for auditory nerve exists.
- 05Published in Hearing Research, a leading peer-reviewed audiology and hearing science journal.
Cell therapy can potentially boost auditory nerve function in cochlear implant recipients with poor speech perception outcomes.
opinionpartially supportedSpecific surgical approaches for delivering cell therapy to the auditory nerve can be identified and evaluated for feasibility.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42762631
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.heares.2026.109806.
- Journal
- Hearing Research
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Cochlear implant recipients with poor speech perception outcomes attributed to auditory nerve deficiency
- Intervention
- Cell therapy to restore or boost auditory nerve function
Primary outcomes
Status of cell therapy approaches for auditory nerve augmentation; Evaluation of surgical delivery methods; Identification of suitable patient candidates for cell therapy