Cochlear Implantation Outcomes: A 10-Year Single-Surgeon Experience

Background: Cochlear implantation (CI) is an appropriate management strategy for prelingual hearing loss. Rehabilitation programs are essential in enabling children to cope with devices and acquire language skills. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the hearing outcomes of CIs performed by a single surgeon in Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq, and compare them with the results of other CI centers worldwide. Methods: This is a prospective study implemented in Erbil from November 1, 2013, to October 30, 2023, on a convenience sample of 161 patients with prelingual hearing loss (HL) who underwent CI by a single surgeon. The following were collected: age at implantation, use of hearing aids before implantation, parent's educational level, and duration of rehabilitation. The effect of the previous variables on Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) score and speech intelligibility rating (SIR) on the auditory levels of children was assessed by the researcher six months and one year following surgery. Results: Implantation age showed significant associations with the CAP score examined at six months and 12 months post implantation (p -value 0.001). Speech intelligibility rating was also significantly linked to implantation age (p -value 0.001).