Quantifying the Influence of Factors on the Accuracy of Speech Perception in Mandarin-Speaking Cochlear Implant Patients

Rehabilitation of hearing perception in cochlear implant (CI) patients is a challenging process. A comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of hearing rehabilitation in Mandarin-speaking CI patients was conducted. We measured the aided hearing threshold (AHT) and the speech perception accuracy (SPA) and collected clinical data. A total of 49 CI patients were included. Significant linear relationships existed between the AHT and SPA. The SPA increased by about 5–7% when the AHT decreased by 5 dB. An apparent individual difference in the SPA was observed under the same AHT, which in some patients was lower than the reference value fitted by the regression model. The timing of both of cochlear implantation and rehabilitation training was found to lead to significant improvement in SPA. The SPA increases by 2.1–3.6% per year of cochlear implantation and 0.7–1.5% per year of rehabilitation training. The time of auditory deprivation can significantly reduce the SPA by about 1.0–1.6% per year. The SPA was still poor in some CI patients when the hearing compensation seemed satisfying. Early cochlear implantation and post-operative rehabilitation are essential for recovery of the patient’s SPA if the indications for cochlear implantation are met.