Single-centre experience and practical considerations of the benefit of a second cochlear implant in bilaterally deaf adults

Purpose Bilateral cochlear implant (CI) implantation is increasingly used in the auditory rehabilitation of bilaterally deafened adults. However, after successful unilateral implantation, objective patient counselling is essential. Methods We investigated the extra benefit of a second CI in adults in terms of health-related quality of life, tinnitus, stress, anxiety, depression, quality of hearing, and speech recognition. Hearing ability was assessed by using the Freiburg monosyllable speech discrimination test (FB MS) and the Oldenburg sentence test with azimuth variations. In a prospective patient cohort, we administered validated questionnaires before a CI, after a first CI and after a second CI implantation. Results The study included 29 patients, made up of nine women and 20 men. The median time between the first and the second implantation was 23 months. The mean total NCIQ score and TQ before a CI improved significantly after both implantations. Stress, anxiety, and depression were stable over time and were not significantly affected by CI implantations. Speech recognition with noise significantly improved after the first and again after the second CI. Correlation analysis showed a strong connection between auditory performance and HRQoL. Conclusion We demonstrated that a unilateral CI benefitted many fields and that the second sequential CI leads again to additional improvement. Bilateral CI implantation should, therefore, be the standard form of auditory rehabilitation in deafened adults.