Analysis of a Cochlear Implant Database: Changes in Tinnitus Prevalence and Distress After Cochlear Implantation.
Kelly K S Assouly, Adriana L Smit, Robert H Eikelboom and 4 others
PMID 36154765WHAT IT FOUND
Tinnitus prevalence dropped from 55.8% to 44.3% after cochlear implantation.
Distress scores improved significantly, with most patients reporting only slight or no handicap. However, 18.4% of patients without prior tinnitus developed it, and no patient characteristics predicted these outcomes.
Key findings
01Tinnitus prevalence decreased from 55.8% pre-implantation to 44.3% post-implantation, and median distress scores dropped significantly from 12.0 to 3.5 points on the Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire.
02Among patients who did not report tinnitus before surgery, 18.4% reported experiencing it after implantation, while 28.1% of those with pre-operative tinnitus reported complete suppression.
03No specific patient characteristics, such as age, hearing loss severity, or implant type, were statistically associated with tinnitus distress levels 12 months after implantation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective, relying on clinical data collected for routine care rather than a strict research protocol. There was a high rate of missing data at later follow-up points, with 67.7% of patients missing tinnitus reports at 36 months. The definition of 'substantial change' in tinnitus distress (a 17-point TRQ shift) was created by the authors and has not been validated against other measures. The study did not include a control group of patients who did not receive implants, so it cannot prove the implant caused the changes.
Declared interests
One author is an employee at Cochlear Technology Center, Belgium. The study received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume cochlear implantation is a reliable treatment for tinnitus. While average distress scores improved, 18.4% of patients with no prior tinnitus developed it, and no patient characteristics were found to predict who would improve, stay the same, or worsen.