Cochlear Implantation Among Adults and Older Children With Unilateral or Asymmetric Hearing Loss

Unilateral hearing loss is known to impair binaural hearing abilities. Specifically,
localization, speech understanding in noise, and binaural squelch suffer due to lack of
binaural timing and level cues. This study is designed to examine how binaural hearing is
improved following cochlear implantation on the impaired side. The study endpoints are
collected at 6 months and 12 months post activation of the implant.

This is not a funded study. All costs are billed through insurance for reimbursement. There
is an insurance approval process that we move through after a participant has been evaluated
at the Mayo Clinic and found to be a candidate for cochlear implantation.

Adults

- 18 years of age or older,

- Hearing loss in the ear to be implanted must such that speech understanding is not
possible with a well fitted hearing aid. Specifically, less than 40% monosyllabic word
understanding when that ear is tested in the best-aided condition and the other ear is
sufficiently occluded or masked.

- Onset of hearing loss in the adult group must be post-lingual (after three years of
age)

Children

- Children 7 years of age and older

- Hearing loss in the ear to be implanted configured such that word understanding is
less 40% in the best aided condition

- Onset of hearing loss in the pediatric group must be post-lingual (after three years
of age)