ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Audiologists Miss Many Candidates for Cochlear Implants

January 27, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Many adult patients who are good candidates for cochlear implants are missed because of significant variation among audiologists in how patients are preoperatively assessed and unfamiliarity with the most current criteria for identifying patients, a new survey reports.

You Might Also Like

  • Routine Audiometry Correlate Strongly With Formal CI Candidacy Evaluation
  • Utility Measure Choice Affects Cost-Effectiveness Perception for Second Cochlear Implants
  • Language Performance in Disabled Children with Cochlear Implants
  • Cochlear Implants: Changing Indications and New Technology

The survey included responses from 92 US audiologists and the results show a wide variability in their testing methods (JAMA Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 2019 doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2019.3760. [Epub ahead of print]). For example, when assessing patients for lack of hearing aid (HA) benefit—a fundamental criterion for cochlear implant candidacy—the respondents varied widely in their definitions of the best aided listening condition for assessing implant candidates varied widely among the respondents.

Respondents also varied in how they applied speech-recognition test materials from the Minimum Speech Test Battery. Although 96.2% said they use AzBio sentences in quiet, 88.5% said they use AzBio sentences in noise, and 100% use the consonant-vowel nucleus-consonant, monosyllabic word tests. They also reported inconsistent application of these tests. Most respondents (74%) used a sound pressure level scale while the others (26%) used a hearing level scale, which can drastically impact scores. Further, some test at a single noise level while others employ multiple signal-to-noise ratios.

According to Sandra Prentiss, PhD, the study’s lead author and assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, these findings highlight the lack of clear guidelines for how best to test patients as well as the lack of familiarity of current criteria for cochlear implantation. Unlike in the past when cochlear implants were available only for patients with severe or profound hearing loss, current criteria expand the indication to those with lesser degrees of hearing loss, she said.

“Cochlear implant candidate hearing profiles look very different now than they did before,” she said. “If a patient is reporting a decreased quality of life due to their hearing and communication abilities, and they were told that they were not a candidate, it is worth seeking a second opinion.”

She emphasized the importance of listening to patients about the impact of hearing loss on their quality of life, and encouraged audiologists and otolaryngologists to refer patients for a cochlear implant evaluation. “Even if a patient…does not meet candidacy, it is better to have them tested and counseled on all potential treatment options and the impact of untreated hearing loss,” she said.

—Mary Beth Nierengarten

Filed Under: Online Exclusives, Otology/Neurotology Tagged With: cochlear implants, hearing loss

You Might Also Like:

  • Routine Audiometry Correlate Strongly With Formal CI Candidacy Evaluation
  • Utility Measure Choice Affects Cost-Effectiveness Perception for Second Cochlear Implants
  • Language Performance in Disabled Children with Cochlear Implants
  • Cochlear Implants: Changing Indications and New Technology

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Otolaryngologists Have a Major Role to Play in Treating COVID-19 Long-Haulers
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.