The Effect of Cochlear Implant Electrode Array Type on Hearing Preservation

ObjectiveTo compare hearing preservation outcomes between lateral wall and perimodiolar electrode arrays for cochlear implant patients.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingA large Western Australian cochlear implant clinicMethodsA total of 311 adult cochlear implant recipients (321 ears) implanted between 2017 and 2022 were included. Of these, 174 presented with postlingual hearing loss and preoperative functional low-frequency hearing. The change in low-frequency pure-tone average was assessed as the difference between preoperative to 3-, 6-, and 12-months postoperative measurements. Data were analyzed through linear mixed-effects modeling and one-way ANOVA.ResultsPreoperative low-frequency, pure-tone average was higher for those implanted with perimodiolar compared with lateral wall electrodes (<i>P</i> < .05). The linear mixed-effects model revealed that change in low-frequency pure-tone average at all postoperative timepoints was similar between lateral wall and perimodiolar electrodes (<i>P</i> > .05).ConclusionThere were similar changes in residual postoperative hearing between all electrode types when controlling for preoperative low-frequency hearing and age implanted. These data suggest that newer, thinner perimodiolar and lateral wall electrodes could be considered for individuals with greater levels of preoperative low-frequency hearing.