2006 Volume 2006 Issue Supplement117 Pages 77-82
Cochlear implants require periodic adjustments of their speech processing program. The present study investigated the necessity and frequency of adjustment of the cochlear implant speech processing program in adult patients. Subjects were 19 adult patients who underwent cochlear implantation at our department and had worn the implant continuously for more than one year. A cochlear implant manufactured by Cochlear Ltd. was used in all patients: the Nucleus 22 system in 13 patients, and the Nucleus 24 system in 6 patients. Excluding adjustments made within the first month of implantation, adjustment of the speech processing program, i. e., MAPping, was performed a total of 860 times. Changes in MAP within the past three months or previously were classified as those performed to improve hearing or to alleviate adverse effects (uncomfortable noisy sensation, dizziness, earache and headache). The results were analyzed in relation to patient age at the time of surgery and hearing performance. The study showed that when MAPping was performed frequently to reduce noise, patients often experienced dizziness, earache or headache. If a patient experiences an adverse effect, while MAP might need to be adjusted, this could also worsen hearing. However, at our department, MAPping was done to deal with adverse effects without negatively affecting hearing performance.
