Introduction
The positive effect of hearing rehabilitation with CI on cognition in elderly patients
is known from the literature and own studies. The aim of the present study is to investigate
the success of cochlear implantation (CI) on cognitive abilities in middle-aged patients,
since hearing impairment is a major risk factor for the development of dementia in
middle-aged patients.
Patients and methods
Thirty-two patients (♂=18; ♀=14, mean age 52.0) were included in the prospective study
and examined preoperatively and 12 months after CI.
Cognition was measured in points using four selected tests from the Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale (WAIS IV) divided into working memory (WM) and processing speed
(PS). Speech comprehension was assessed using the Freiburger Einsilbertest (FES) at
rest.
Results
Already 1 year postoperatively, WM improved from 84.1 ± 16.7 points preoperatively
to 91.0 ± 17.1 points postoperatively (p ≤ 0.0001). PS was 91.6 ± 12.8 points preoperatively
and increased significantly to 95.4 ± 13.8 (p=0.011) 12 months postoperatively.
Speech understanding at rest also improved significantly postoperatively.
Discussion
The significant improvement of cognitive performance and speech comprehension after
CI surgery in middle-aged patients already after 1 year shows a clear success of care.
This could also indicate a risk reduction of dementia development within 1 year postoperatively.
