A review of available medical research by James M. Gaylor, B.A., of Tufts Medical Center, Boston, suggests that cochlear implants in adults may be associated with improved hearing, quality of life and sound localization.
The meta-analysis used data from on published studies of adult patients undergoing unilateral or bilateral procedures with multichannel cochlear implants and assessment measures. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria.
“Unilateral cochlear implants provide improved hearing and significantly improve QOL [quality of life], and improvements in sound localization are noted for bilateral implantation. Future studies of longer duration, higher-quality reporting, and large databases or registries of patients with long-term follow-up data are needed to yield stronger evidence,” the study concludes.
(JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Published online February 21, 2013.)
