Screening for Developmental Delays in Pediatric Cochlea Implant Candidates and Recipients.

Objective: Conduct a pilot clinical improvement project to effectively screen children with hearing loss for developmental delays. Children with hearing loss and cochlear implants (CIs) are at risk for additional developmental delays; however, screening to aid in early identification and referral for developmental delays is not routinely performed at CI centers. It is important to consider all aspects of child development to maximize CI outcomes and access to language.

Changes in Outcomes Expectations During the Cochlear Implant Evaluation Process.

Objectives: Patient expectations are a critical factor in determining cochlear implant (CI) candidacy. However, minimal data are available on how potential CI recipients develop their expectations and if expectations can be modified by providers. In addition, there is little insight into the resources patients use to inform their decision to undergo implantation.

Associations of Primary Spoken Language With Individual Perception of Hearing-Related Disability.

Objectives: Hispanic/Latino adults are less likely than non-Hispanic White adults to seek treatment for hearing disability. While differential socioeconomic factors may contribute to this finding, differences in phonology and syntax in the Spanish, versus English, language may also influence patient perception of hearing disability. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between primary language spoken and participant perception of hearing disability.

Derivation and Initial Validation of the Utility Function for the Hearing Utility Measure (HUM).

Objective: The Hearing Utility Measure (HUM) is a replacement hearing attribute for the Health Utilities Index, Mark 3 (HUI-3) designed to improve the responsiveness of utility estimates to changes in hearing-related quality of life. The final development step is to derive the instrument's utility scoring function.

Methods: Residents of Ontario, Canada, aged ≥18 years participated in standard gamble and visual analogue scale exercises.

Adaptation of the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-35 Profile Into German.

Purpose: The adaptation of existing questionnaires is a valuable method to make instruments available in multiple languages. It is necessary to assure the quality of an adaptation by following adaptation guidelines. The Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-35 Profile (CIQOL-35 Profile) was developed and validated to measure the functional abilities in English-speaking adult CI users but is not yet available in German.

Computer-based Auditory Training by New Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients Is Associated With Durable Improvements in Cochlear Implant Quality of Life.

Objective: The process of adapting to communicate with a cochlear implant (CI) is complex. The use of auditory training after cochlear implantation may help to facilitate improvements in postoperative speech recognition and quality-of-life outcomes in new adult CI recipients. However, the effectiveness of auditory training remains uncertain and long-term effects have not been examined in a large sample of new adult CI users.

Short Postoperative Length of Stay After Lateral Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak Repair.

Objective: To characterize the short-term outcomes of patients undergoing surgical repair of lateral skull base cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks followed by a shortened length of stay (LOS) protocol.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Tertiary medical center.

Determinants of Cochlear Implant Satisfaction and Decisional Regret in Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

Objective: Determine associations expected and actual cochlear implant (CI) outcomes, decisional regret, and satisfaction in experienced adult CI users.

Study Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary medical center.

Discrepancies Between Expected and Actual Cochlear Implant-Related Functional Outcomes.

Objective: Previous research has demonstrated that realistic patient expectations are a critical factor in determining cochlear implant (CI) candidacy. The current study uses the validated Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-Expectations (CIQOL-Expectations) instrument to determine expectations of potential CI users and the degree to which their pre-CI expectations are met after implantation.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Item Level Psychometrics of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory in Vestibular Migraine and Meniere's Disease.

Objectives: Evaluate the measurement properties of the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) using item response theory in patients diagnosed with vestibular migraine (VM) and Meniere's disease (MD).

Design: One hundred twenty-five patients diagnosed with VM and 169 patients diagnosed with MD by a vestibular neurotologist according to the Bárány Society criteria in two tertiary multidisciplinary vestibular clinics and who completed the DHI at their initial visit, were included in the study. The DHI (total score and individual items) was analyzed using the Rasch Rating Scale model for patients in each subgroup, VM and MD, and as a whole group.

Impact of Patient Frailty on Speech Recognition and Quality of Life Outcomes in Adult Cochlear Implant Users.

Objective: The process of cochlear implantation (CI) and subsequent post-cochlear implant care is extensive and can be difficult to navigate for patients considered medically frail. This study investigates potential impact of patient frailty on speech recognition and quality of life outcomes after CI.

Study Design: Retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database.

Conditional Minimal Detectable Change for the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life-35 Profile Associated With Improved Functional Abilities 12 Months After Cochlear Implantation.

Importance: It is essential to measure an individual patient's baseline and follow-up abilities to demonstrate changes in clinical outcomes over time. Inherent in this strategy is interpreting whether the measured change is clinically significant and beyond measurement error. Conditional minimal detectable change (cMDC) values are widely used in many disciplines but have rarely been established for outcome measures in otolaryngology or hearing research, and never in cochlear implantation.

Impact of auditory environments on language outcomes in children with a cochlear implant.

Objectives: To analyse the effects of auditory environments on receptive and expressive language outcomes in children with a CI.

Design: A single-institution retrospective review was performed. The auditory environments included Speech-Noise, Speech-Quiet, Quiet, Music, and Noise.

Why Do Candidates Forgo Cochlear Implantation?

Objective: Identify barriers and facilitating factors in cochlear implant (CI) utilization by comparing functional measures between CI candidates who undergo or forgo implantation.

Methods: Forty-three participants were separated into two groups: (1) 28 participants who underwent CI and (2) 15 participants who elected not to proceed with CI despite meeting eligibility criteria (no-CI). Prior to implantation, all participants completed the CI Quality of Life (CIQOL)-35 Profile and CIQOL-Expectations instrument.

Association of Cognitive Impairment Screening Scores With Improvements in Speech Recognition and Quality of Life After Cochlear Implantation.

Importance: Many cochlear implant centers screen patients for cognitive impairment as part of the evaluation process, but the utility of these scores in predicting cochlear implant outcomes is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether there is an association between cognitive impairment screening scores and cochlear implant outcomes.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Retrospective case series of adult cochlear implant recipients who underwent preoperative cognitive impairment screening with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) from 2018 to 2020 with 1-year follow-up at a single tertiary cochlear implant center.

Patient-Related Factors Do Not Predict Use of Computer-Based Auditory Training by New Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients.

Objective: The use of computer-based auditory training (CBAT) after cochlear implantation is associated with improved speech recognition and real-world functional abilities. However, patient-related factors associated with CBAT use remain unknown. This study seeks to identify such factors and recognize those at risk for not implementing CBAT.

Development and Implementation of the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL) Functional Staging System.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to develop and implement a functional staging system using the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL) framework. The CIQOL-35 Profile was developed and validated following a rigorous research design and found to be more comprehensive and psychometrically sound than previous patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) applied to adult CI users. However, interpreting the CIQOL-35 Profile (and all PROMs) relative to real-world functioning remains difficult for patients and clinicians, which limits the capacity of PROMs to direct clinical care.

Longitudinal Speech Recognition Changes After Cochlear Implant: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: To examine patterns of change and plateau in speech recognition scores in postlingually hearing impaired adult cochlear implant recipients. The study also examines variations in change patterns for different speech materials and testing conditions.

Study Design: Used systematic review with meta-analysis.