Cochlear implantation in postirradiated ears: A case‐control comparative study

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate the hearing outcomes of cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with hearing loss who had received radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). The study compared speech perception in patients who had prior radiotherapy with those who did not receive radiotherapy. METHODS: Eighty‐eight Cantonese speaking adult patients who had profound sensorineural hearing loss and received CI from 1995 to 2015 at the Chinese University of Hong Kong CI‐center were studied. Twenty‐five patients had history of NPC and radiotherapy were determined as the exposed group, while 63 patients of mixed etiologies but with no history of radiotherapy were included in the control group. The Hong Kong Speech Perception Test Manual (HKSPTM) scores preoperatively, at 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively were used to assess hearing performance. The HKSPTM consisted categories of speech recognition, word recognition, and tone perception. RESULTS: No statistical significance differences were found at the four time‐points in the three categories of HKSPTM between the two groups. CONCLUSION: CI is a clinically effective intervention and good rehabilitative option for hearing restoration in NPC patients with hearing impairment. Further studies with greater sample size and additional pathological studies on the pathophysiology of hearing loss in this subgroup of patients may provide supplementary information for clinicians when counseling for CI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.