Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss Following Cochlear Implantation

ObjectiveEvaluate health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) benefits with cochlear implantation (CI) in children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) versus bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (BSNHL). Study DesignA cross-sectional survey of parents of children who underwent CI for USNHL and BSNHL. SettingTertiary care academic centers. MethodsThe Children with cochlear implants: parental perspectives survey was administered. Parents rated responses on a 5-point Likert scale. Scores greater than 3.0 were considered favorable. Responses were recorded within 8 domains and groups were compared with respect to domain scores. Analysis of covariance models was used to compare groups while adjusting for age at implantation and duration of implant use. ResultsThere were 31 patients with USNHL and 27 patients with BSNHL. The average age of implantation in BSNHL patients was 1.9 and 6.7 years for USNHL. Parents of all children answered favorably in all domains. When adjusted for age at implantation and duration of implant use, parents of BSNHL children responded significantly more favorably only in 2 domains. When comparing patients with older age or prolonged duration of hearing loss in the USNHL cohort, there were favorable responses in all domains with no significant differences between groups. ConclusionThere are HR-QOL benefits of CI in USNHL children; less pronounced favorable results were noted only in 2 domains when compared to BSNHL children. Benefits were noted with CI in USNHL children at an older age at implantation or prolonged duration of hearing loss. Therefore, these factors should not be absolute contraindications for CI in USNHL.

Automated summary

This study evaluates the relationship between cochlear implantation (CI) and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (USNHL) versus bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (BSNHL). The results show that USNHL children respond more favorably in 2 domains compared to BSNHL children, but there are no significant differences in other domains. Therefore, age and duration of hearing loss should not be absolute contraindications for CI in USNHL children.