No changes in cochlear implant mapping and audiometric parameters in adolescence

Background: Audiologists mapping in the clinic report that many cochlear-implanted teenagers and their parents complain of deterioration in hearing capabilities. The aim of this study was to compare the mapping parameters measured over the years and determine whether more changes occurred throughout adolescence than during childhood. Methods: The files of 23 cochlear-implanted teenagers were studied retrospectively. Data were collected for each individual at several time points between the ages of 6.5 and 18.25 years. Typical data collected from the mapping sessions included behaviorally measured T values, impedance results, audiogram thresholds in the free field with the implant, speech reception threshold, and speech perception of vowelconsonant-vowel syllables. Results: No changes were found in either the behavioral or the objective parameters over the years. Conclusions: The stability in mapping and audiometric measurements found in adolescence do not support an explanation based on hormonal and growth effects on implant function. Perhaps a more likely cause of the subjective sense of hearing deterioration is related to changes in social and educational requirements.