Baseline and 6-month tinnitus burden negatively associated with 2-year quality of life in single-sided deafness after cochlear implantation.
This study utilized a secondary complete-case analysis of a prospective longitudinal cohort involving 36 adults with postlingual single-sided deafness. The primary exposure was unilateral cochlear implantation, with follow-up conducted over 2 years. The primary outcome measured was the 2-year Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) scores, while secondary outcomes included tinnitus burden, perceived hearing ability, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress.
The analysis identified that higher tinnitus burden at baseline was associated with lower 2-year NCIQ scores. Similarly, higher tinnitus burden at 6 months was associated with lower 2-year NCIQ scores. Conversely, better hearing at 6 months was associated with higher 2-year NCIQ scores. Across all assessments, higher NCIQ scores were linked to lower tinnitus burden and better hearing.
Safety and tolerability data were not reported, as were specific adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, or general tolerability metrics. The study employed exploratory multivariable analyses, and associations with depression and anxiety persisted, while connections with perceived stress emerged after surgery. Limitations include the secondary complete-case analysis design and the fact that causality is not explicitly claimed beyond 'associated with'.
The practice relevance supports a structured, multidimensional approach to patient-reported follow-up after cochlear implantation in single-sided deafness. Early postoperative patient-reported status may serve as an early candidate marker for later quality-of-life outcomes. However, the study phase was not reported, and funding or conflicts of interest were not reported. The certainty of these findings is constrained by the exploratory nature of the analyses and the observational cohort design.
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