The minimum age for cochlear implantation has been reduced to 12 months in an effort to provide auditory stimulation to children with hearing loss during early development. Because behavioral measures in such young children are limited, objective measures such as the electrically evoked compound action potential (EAP) from the auditory nerve are needed to facilitate measurement of stimulation level requirements. We assessed EAPs recorded by the Nucleus 24 neural response telemetry (NRT) system in children who underwent implantation between 12 and 24 months of age. We recorded EAPs in 37 such children (mean age at implantation, 18.1 ± 3.6 months). The EAPs were of large amplitude, and thresholds fell between behavioral T and C levels. A correction factor applied to EAP thresholds provided useful predictions of T levels. The EAPs can be used to ensure that even very young children receive auditory stimulation with their cochlear implants upon device activation.

Objective: To evaluate the use of monosyllabic word recognition versus sentence recognition to determine candidacy and long-term benefit for cochlear implantation. Study Design: Prospective multi-center single-subject design. Methods: A total of 21 adults aged 18 years and older with bilateral moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss and low monosyllabic word scores received unilateral cochlear implantation. The consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) word test was the central measure of pre- and postoperative performance. Additional speech understanding tests included the Hearing in Noise Test sentences in quiet and AzBio sentences +5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Quality of life (QoL) was measured using the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and Health Utilities Index. Results: Performance on sentence recognition reached the ceiling of the test after only 3 months of implant use. In contrast, none of the participants in this study reached a score of 80% on CNC word recognition, even at the 12-month postoperative test interval. Measures of QoL related to hearing were also significantly improved following implantation. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate that monosyllabic words are appropriate for determining preoperative candidate and measuring long-term postoperative speech recognition performance. Level of Evidence: 2c.

The results of the study suggest that the Nucleus 5 sound processor provides significantly better speech recognition in quiet and in noise when compared with performance with the Nucleus Freedom processor.

The results of this study suggest that the Nucleus 6 sound processor with acoustic scene classification, automatic, adaptive directionality, and speech enhancement in noise processing provides significantly better speech recognition in noise when compared to performance with the Nucleus 5 processor.

The Nucleus® 6 sound processor is now compatible with the Nucleus® 22 (CI22M)—Cochlear’s first generation cochlear implant. The Nucleus 6 offers three new signal processing algorithms that purportedly facilitate improved hearing in background noise.These studies were designed to evaluate listening performance and user satisfaction with the Nucleus 6 sound processor.The research design was a prospective, single-participant, repeated measures designA group of 80 participants implanted with various Nucleus internal implant devices (CI22M, CI24M, Freedom® CI24RE, CI422, and CI512) were recruited from a total of six North American sites.Participants had their external sound processor upgraded to the Nucleus 6 sound processor. Final speech perception testing in noise and subjective questionnaires were completed after four or 12 weeks of take-home use with the Nucleus 6.Speech perception testing in noise showed significant improvement and participants reported increased satisfaction with the Nucleus 6.These studies demonstrated the benefit of the new algorithms in the Nucleus 6 over previous generations of sound processors.