Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Age Subgroups of Veterans Over 50 Years Old

This study aimed to determine whether there was a difference in postoperative Arizona Biomedical (AzBio) speech recognition scores in 2 differently aged subgroups of veterans 50 years and older after cochlear implantation (CI). Retrospective chart review. Tertiary referral center. Seventy-one patients aged 50 to 74 years (younger cohort) were compared with 56 patients aged 75 years and older (older cohort) at the time of CI. Patients underwent therapeutic CI. Comparison of AzBio speech recognition test scores in a quiet environment between the 2 differently aged cohorts of veterans 50 years and older. Despite no significant differences in preoperative AzBio score between the younger (mean 22.2%) and older cohorts (mean, 17.3%; P > 0.05), when examining the 6- and 12-month postoperative time points, the older cohort had significantly lower mean AzBio scores (50%, 55.8%; P < 0.05) than the younger cohort (69.8%, 71.9%; P < 0.05). All patients aged >50 years experienced significant improvement in speech recognition scores following CI, although the cohort of ages 50 to 74 years scored significantly higher in later follow-up visits. These findings suggest that CI should be offered to appropriate candidates, regardless of age, although earlier intervention may be more advantageous.