engleski

Outcome factors for cochlear implant users

In thirty (30) children with cochlear implants rehabilitated in the SUVAG Polyclinic the outcome factors were studied. The most important outcome factors are the age at implantation, the reached hearing level and the duration of pre- and postoperative rehabilitation. The outcomes were measured by eight tests for hearing, auditory perception and speech perception which make the indexes of capacity or the reached auditory-speech perception level. For comparison with the matched group it was taken thirty (30) more deaf children, with hearing level above 93 dB, all hearing-aid users on both sides and also rehabilitated in the SUVAG Polyclinic. The first and the most important factor is time, which means age at implantation: the earlier time of operation, the better prospects. For our group of examinees it can be said that the surgery done before four and a half years of life, as a rule, gives good prospects. After that, individually, the rehabilitation can be completely successful and to the age of six and a half, in special circumstances to the age of nine, as well as it is possible to fail although the implantation was done to four and a half years. The second factor is the hearing level. The development of auditory and speech perception does not meet the obstacles if the loss of hearing is to 45 dB, after that the indexes of capacity rapidly decrease. The implanted children reach their upper limit of success to 5, some of them to 3 years of rehabilitation, and exceptionally before that time. The deaf hearing aid users the same limit reach between 7 and 8 years of rehabilitation. In deaf non-implanted children the final frequency they can hear at is of the most importance for the final outcome. Those who can hear at over 6000 Hz are twice as better as those who can hear to 3000 Hz only. On the basis of statistical analysis it was possible to figure out and to draw the curve of predict outcomes with respect to the time/age at implantation, hearing level and duration of the rehabilitation in implanted children. The prognostic curve can be of great help in making list of advantages for cochlear implantation, then in parents counseling center and to rehabilitators for the comparison of the obtained and predict outcomes.

cochlear implant

nije evidentirano