Many cochlear implant candidates express hopes of enjoying music following implantation. Our aim was to assess the appreciation of music after cochlear implantation in adult patients. Thirty-five out of 45 cochlear implantees (78%) from the North East Programme responded to a questionnaire. Only 16 out of 35 patients (46%) listened to music after implantation. Enjoyment of music on a self-assessment scale was graded a mean of 8.7/10 before deafness but only 2.6/10 after implantation. Listening to music after implantation was more likely in younger patients, those with higher speech perception scores and those with a shorter length of deafness, but was not found to be related to gender, type of implant, processing strategy, time since implant or music enjoyment before becoming deaf. Appreciation of music after cochlear implantation is disappointingly low. Future developments in implant technology should strive to improve satisfaction with music listening.

Many cochlear implant candidates express hopes of enjoying music following implantation. Our aim was to assess the appreciation of music after cochlear implantation in adult patients. Thirty-five out of 45 cochlear implantees (78%) from the North East Programme responded to a questionnaire. Only 16 out of 35 patients (46%) listened to music after implantation. Enjoyment of music on a self-assessment scale was graded a mean of 8.7/10 before deafness but only 2.6/10 after implantation. Listening to music after implantation was more likely in younger patients, those with higher speech perception scores and those with a shorter length of deafness, but was not found to be related to gender, type of implant, processing strategy, time since implant or music enjoyment before becoming deaf. Appreciation of music after cochlear implantation is disappointingly low. Future developments in implant technology should strive to improve satisfaction with music listening.

The objective of the study was to investigate the potential for clinical application of neural response imaging (NRI) cochlear mapping. Cochlear mapping was performed at each fitting session up to at least six months following initial fitting. Stimulation was delivered to one electrode site. NRI was recorded from each of the remaining sites. The procedure was repeated for apical, medial and basal stimulation sites, stimulating at subjective threshold and most comfortable levels. Responses were obtained in five out of six subjects and are discussed in terms of: reproducibility, quality, changes over time. Cochlear mapping provided repeatable data that gave interesting insights into the implanted cochlea. Further work is required to determine whether this approach could contribute to programme optimisation.

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In the last few years, the main thrust of research into cochlear implantation has centred around the development of advanced multi-channel implants. A new area of development is now concentrating on maximizing the potential of each individual electrode in order to improve the quality of hearing. This study involved the medialization of the cochlear implant electrode array using a silastic positioner in five patients. Two parameters were measured, namely current units needed to produce a stapedial reflex, and impedance levels between the electrode and modiolus. On insertion of the cochlear implant, readings were taken before the insertion of the positioner, immediately afterwards and at two months.