Benefits of Cochlear Implants in Single-Sided Deafness Patients

by Amy E. Hamaker •

What is the impact of cochlear implants (CI) on patients with single-sided deafness (SSD)?

Bottom line: There was an improvement in health-related quality of life and a reduction of tinnitus and cognitive distress in patients with SSD after cochlear implantation.

BACKGROUND: Patients with SSD have profound unilateral hearing loss in the poorer ear and regular hearing in the other ear, impairing their directional hearing and ability to understand speech in background noise. There is a relationship between hearing impairment, tinnitus distress, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and psychological comorbidities in bilaterally deaf patients. 

STUDY DESIGN: Survey of 21 patients (8 male, 13 female) using the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) Survey.

SETTING: Department of Otolaryngology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany. 

SYNOPSIS: SSD causes included sudden hearing loss, meningitis, Ménière’s disease, varicella zoster virus, trauma, and unknown causes. By six months postoperatively, there was a statistically significant improvement in the NCIQ Social Interactions subcategory. There was no statistically significant change in the SF-36 Physical Sum or Mental Sum scores. Eighteen patients suffered from tinnitus. Total score and four of six subcategories (Emotional Distress, Cognitive Distress, Intrusiveness, Auditory Perceptual Difficulties) measured with the Tinnitus Questionnaire improved significantly at six months postoperatively, although six patients reported aggravation of tinnitus distress. At six months postoperatively, the subdomain Tension score on the Perceived Stress Questionnaire had improved significantly. There was a statistically significant improvement in the Evasive Behavior and Looking for Support subcategories for the Brief COPE questionnaire. There was no significant change in the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire score or the General Depression Scale. There was a statistically significant improvement in the subdomain Hearing in Noise for the Oldenburg Inventory questionnaire, and, six months after CI surgery, the Freiburg Monosyllable Word Test mean score had improved significantly. Limitations included the short follow-up term and the assumption that there will be further improvement with time.

CITATION: Häußler SM, Köpke V, Knopke S, et al. Multifactorial positive influence of cochlear implantation on patients with single-sided deafness. Laryngoscope. 2020;130:500-506