Cochlear Nerve Responsiveness to Electrical Stimulation in Late-Implanted Prelingually Deafened Adults

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate cochlear nerve responsiveness to electrical stimulation in prelingually deafened adults with late cochlear implantation by analyzing electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs), and to compare their neural status with that of postlingually deafened adults.

Findings on cochlear nerve responsiveness in late-implanted prelingually deafened adults may help refine candidate selection and outcome counselling for this challenging CI population, but direct practice change should await replication in larger samples.

Understanding residual cochlear nerve function in late-implanted prelingually deafened adults is critical for expanding cochlear implant candidacy criteria and setting realistic patient expectations.

1. 01Study measures electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAPs) as a marker of cochlear nerve health in prelingually deafened adults.
2. 02Population is late-implanted adults — those deafened before language acquisition who received CI as adults, a group historically considered poor candidates.
3. 03Published in Ear and Hearing (2026), a leading peer-reviewed audiology journal.
4. 04Electrical responsiveness data could inform pre-implant counselling and outcome prediction.
5. 05Findings add to evidence base for broadening CI candidacy beyond traditional criteria.

PMID

42265794

DOI

10.1097/AUD.0000000000001850.

Journal

Ear and Hearing

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Prelingually deafened adults receiving late cochlear implantation

Intervention

Cochlear implantation with electrically evoked compound action potential (eCAP) measurement