In Brief:
A monosyllabic word test was administered to 114 postlingually deaf adult cochlear implant (CI) recipients at numerous intervals from 2 weeks to 2 years postinitial CI activation. Biographic/audiologic information, electrode position, and cognitive ability were examined to determine factors affecting CI outcomes. Results revealed that duration of severe to profound hearing loss, age at implantation, CI sound field threshold levels, percentage of electrodes in scala vestibuli, mediolateral electrode position, insertion depth, and cognition were among the factors that affected performance. Knowledge of how factors affect performance can influence counseling, device fitting, and rehabilitation for patients, and may contribute to improved device design.
