Assessing the quality of life and subjective ratings of the anatomy-based fitting map among experienced, adult cochlear implant users

• Anatomy-based fitting is relatively a new cochlear implant mapping technique. • Frequency-to-place mismatch is addressed by Anatomy-based fitting. • Quality of life improved after using an anatomy-based fitting method for 6-months. • Enhanced subjective feedback. • Improved vowel recognition in quiet is strongly linked with improved enjoyment of entertainment domain in CIQoL-35. Anatomy-Based Fitting (ABF) is a relatively new cochlear implant fitting method launched to minimize frequency-to-place mismatch. This study aimed to assess the benefits of using the ABF map among experienced adult Cochlear Implant (CI) users regarding their subjective experiences and Quality of Life. This prospective observational study compared the outcome measures between the ABF and the regular Conventional-Based Fitting (CBF) CI maps. Using selective sampling, nine ears were examined from eight experienced adult ME-DEL cochlear implant users. All participants underwent postoperative computed tomography scans, which were then analyzed using a surgical planning software called Otoplan® to determine the positions of intracochlear electrodes, their respective angular insertions, and cochlear duct length. The information from the Otoplan® was then imported into the Maestro 9.0 fitting software to generate the ABF map. The outcome measures compared were (i) Subjective ratings of the maps concerning speech understanding, listening comfort, and preferred map; and (ii) Cochlear implant Quality of Life – 35-items (CIQOL-35). The CBF map’s outcome assessment was completed before fitting the experimental ABF map. The review assessments for ABF were taken after six months of ABF use. Finally, their attitude towards the ABF map was obtained. The shifts of the ABF center frequencies varied largely concerning the CBF map across participants, ranging from 0.46 semitones to 23.94 semitones. Subjectively, all three domains were rated better for the ABF than the CBF maps (p < 0.05). Overall, the CIQOL-35 scores significantly improved after using the ABF map for six months, with the entertainment domain showing a significant increase in the mean difference (p < 0.05). 87.5% of participants wanted to continue using the ABF map, indicating a positive attitude towards the ABF map. Results suggest that the ABF map could be an alternative to improve auditory experience and other QoL determinants.