Electric-Acoustic Stimulation After Reimplantation: Hearing Preservation and Speech Perception

Objective: Hearing preservation after cochlear implantation allows for fitting of acoustic and cochlear implant technologies in the same ear, known as Electric-Acoustic Stimulation (EAS). Cochlear implant recipients with EAS who experience an internal device failure face the additional risk of residual hearing loss during reimplantation. This report reviews the case of an EAS recipient with long-term hearing preservation and significant benefit who experienced a device failure and underwent cochlear reimplantation. Patient: Case study who presented with an internal device failure after nearly 10 years of hearing preservation and significant benefit with an EAS device. Intervention: Reimplantation with hearing preservation electrode array. Main Outcome Measures: Unaided residual hearing and aided speech perception with an EAS device using CNC words in quiet and CUNY sentences in noise. Results: Low-frequency thresholds were similar when comparing residual hearing pre- and post-reimplantation. The patient does not use the acoustic portion of the EAS device due to normal low-frequency hearing sensitivity—even after two cochlear implantation procedures. At the 3-month follow-up interval, the patient demonstrated restoration of aided speech perception performance with the EAS device. Conclusions: Hearing preservation can be maintained with long-term use of EAS devices. Those with preserved low-frequency hearing who experience a device failure may maintain hearing preservation after reimplantation. Normal low-frequency hearing thresholds were maintained in the present case, and the patient continued to listen with the EAS device without the acoustic component. EAS recipients may experience rapid restoration in speech perception after reimplantation in the presence of hearing preservation.

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