Hearing preservation (HP) is an important objective in cochlear implantation for patients with residual low-frequency hearing, but its long-term clinical relevance remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term hearing preservation, functional residual hearing, and speech recognition following cochlear implantation. MATERIAL AND
✦ The floor
Discussion
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Long-term hearing preservation rates in this 41-patient series should inform counseling for candidates with residual low-frequency hearing, but sample size limits generalizability; no immediate protocol change is warranted without larger controlled data.
Preserving residual acoustic hearing after cochlear implantation supports electric-acoustic stimulation and better speech understanding, making long-term outcome data critical for candidate counseling and surgical technique refinement.
- 0141 CI recipients with pre-implant low-frequency residual hearing were followed long-term.
- 02Study focuses on durability of hearing preservation, not just immediate post-surgical outcomes.
- 03Low-frequency residual hearing enables electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS), benefiting speech perception.
- 04Findings can inform patient counseling about realistic expectations for hearing preservation.
- 05Small sample size (n=41) limits the strength of conclusions.
Long-term hearing preservation is achievable in cochlear implant recipients who had pre-implant low-frequency residual hearing.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42568258
- DOI
- 10.1080/00016489.2026.2708498.
- Journal
- Acta Oto-Laryngologica
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Sample size
- 41
- Population
- Cochlear implant recipients with pre-implant low-frequency residual hearing
- Intervention
- Cochlear implantation in patients with residual low-frequency hearing
Primary outcomes
Long-term hearing preservation rate post-cochlear implantation