Background: Hearing-related quality of life (QoL) after cochlear implantation (CI)
is as important as audiological performance. We evaluated the functional results and
QoL after CI in a heterogeneous patient cohort with emphasis on patients with long-term
deafness (>10 years). Methods: Twenty-eight patients (n = 32 implanted ears, within
n = 12 long-term deaf ears) implanted with a mid-scala electrode array were included
in this retrospective mono-centric cohort study. Speech intelligibility for monosyllables
(SIM), speech reception thresholds (SRT50) and QoL with Nijmegen Cochlear Implant
Questionnaire (NCIQ) were registered. Correlation of SIM and QoL was analyzed. Results:
SIM and SRT50 improved significantly 12 months postoperatively up to 54.8 +/- 29.1%
and 49.3 +/- 9.6 dB SPL, respectively. SIM progressively improved up to 1 year, but
some early-deafened, late implanted patients developed speech understanding several
years after implantation. The global and all subdomain QoL scores increased significantly
up to 12 months postoperatively and we found a correlation of SIM and global QoL score
at 12 months postoperatively. Several patients of the "poor performer" (SIM < 40%)
group reported high improvement of hearing-related QoL. Conclusions: Cochlear implantation
provides a benefit in hearing-related QoL, even in some patients with low postoperative
speech intelligibility results. Consequently, hearing-related QoL scores should be
routinely used as outcome measure beside standard speech understanding tests, as well.
Further studies with a prospective multi-centric design are needed to identify factors
influencing post-implantation functional results and QoL in the patient group of long-term
deafness.
