Objectives: This study evaluated auditory performance and quality of life in cochlear implant recipients aged 60 years and older, and identified factors associated with postoperative outcomes.
Cochlear implantation delivers meaningful auditory and quality-of-life gains in patients aged 60+; age alone should not be a barrier to implant candidacy, though pre-operative factors such as duration of deafness and residual speech recognition matter.
As the global population ages, establishing evidence for cochlear implant benefit in older adults is critical for equitable access and for guiding counseling about realistic post-operative expectations.
- 01Cross-sectional study of cochlear implant recipients aged 60 and older assessing auditory performance and quality of life.
- 02Significant improvements in speech understanding and quality-of-life scores reported post-implantation.
- 03Longer duration of deafness before implantation was associated with poorer auditory outcomes.
- 04Findings suggest age per se is not a contraindication; pre-operative hearing history is a stronger predictor.
- 05Results support broader CI candidacy criteria for older adults.
Cochlear implantation leads to significant improvements in auditory performance and quality of life in patients aged 60 and older.
studysupportedLonger duration of deafness prior to cochlear implantation is associated with worse postoperative auditory outcomes in older adults.
studysupportedAge alone should not disqualify patients from cochlear implant candidacy.
studypartially supported- PMID
- 42279133
- DOI
- 10.3390/jcm15114273.
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 4
- Population
- Cochlear implant recipients aged 60 and older
- Intervention
- Cochlear implantation
Primary outcomes
Auditory performance post-cochlear implantation; Quality of life after cochlear implantation; Factors associated with postoperative outcomes