Hearing and Life Quality Assessment in Post-Language Patients Following Cochlear Implant

Abstract

Introduction: Hearing loss affects millions of people worldwide, leading some of those to economic impairment, social segregation, and a worse quality of life. Cochlear implants have shown advantages over other treatment alternatives, for it provides considerable hearing gains and therefore greater social interaction possibilities to the affected individuals. Objectives: Speech perception testing and the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL) are used to assess the hearing outcomes and the quality of life of post-lingual patients with severe/profound bilateral neurosensorial hearing loss treated with cochlear implant (Medel). Methods: Speech perception tests are applied to selected subjects prior to and following the cochlear implant using Med-EL CI; the questionnaires assessing quality of life are answered afterwards. Results: There is an improvement in the audiometric thresholds, and the patients present a good quality of life after cochlear implant. Conclusion: The evaluation of these subjects permits to conclude that there are improvements in hearing, and that patients perceive their quality of life to be good after being subjected to cochlear implant.