Author(s)
John Wilson IV, MD
Ashley Altman, MD
Jeffrey Yu, MD
Affiliation(s)
University of Illinois-Chicago
Abstract:
Objective: To determine whether cochlear implant candidacy can be reliably predicted using data from routineaudiograms.Study design: Retrospective case review.Setting: Ambulatory patients at a tertiary referral center.Patients: 41 English speaking adults (62 ears) that received audiogram testing prior to formal cochlear implantevaluation using AzBio in quiet.Main outcome measure(s): Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity, specificity, andnegative/positive predictive values were compared among different prediction methods.Result(s): The word recognition score (WRS) threshold of ≤ 20% had a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 93% forpredicting cochlear implant candidacy in the ipsilateral ear (defined as scoring ≤ 40% on AzBio testing). The positivepredictive value was 96% and the negative predictive value was 75%. The four-frequency pure tone average (4FPTA)threshold of 70 dB HL had a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 31%. The positive predictive value was 85% andthe negative predictive value was 75%.Conclusions: In our sample of adults with significant hearing loss, WRS represents the most useful screening methodto determine cochlear implant candidacy in the ipsilateral ear.Define Professional Practice Gap & Educational Need: 1. Lack of contemporary knowledge for when to referpatients with hearing loss to a cochlear implant center.Learning Objective: 1. To inform clinicians on how to predict cochlear implant candidacy using routine audiograms.Desired Result: 1. Clinicians will incorporate this information into their practice to improve referral patterns and avoidgaps in the cochlear implantation process in order to improve hearing outcomes in the population at large.Level of Evidence: LEVEL V - Case series, studies with no controlsIRB - Approved