Perceptions of Sound Quality and Enjoyment After Cochlear Implantation.

Objectives: To characterize the quality and enjoyment of sound by cochlear implant (CI) recipients and identify predictors of these outcomes after cochlear implantation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: A tertiary care hospital.

Methods: Surveys based on the Hearing Implant Sound Quality Index were sent to all patients who received a CI at a tertiary care hospital from 2000 to 2019. Survey questions prompted CI recipients to characterize enjoyment and quality of voices, music, and various sounds.

Results: Of the 339 surveys, 60 (17.7%) were returned with complete data. CI recipients had a mean ± SD age of 62.5 ± 17.4 years with a mean 8.0 ± 6.1 years since CI surgery. Older current age and age at implantation significantly predicted lower current sound quality ( < .05) and sound enjoyment ( < .05), as well as worsening of sound quality ( < .05) and sound enjoyment ( < .05) over time. Greater length of implantation was associated with higher reported quality and enjoyment ( = 0.4, < .001; = 0.4, < .05), as well as improvement of sound quality ( = 0.3, < .05) but not sound enjoyment over time.

Conclusion: Recipients who had CIs for a longer period had improved quality of sound perception, suggesting a degree of adaptation. However, CI recipients with implantation at an older age reported poorer sound quality and enjoyment as well as worsening sound quality and enjoyment over time, indicating that age-related changes influence outcomes of cochlear implantation.