Quality of life of pediatric patients with cochlear implant

ABSTRACT Quality of Life of Pediatric Patients with Cochlear Implant Objective: In this study, we investigated the satisfaction of patients with cochlear implant by using ?Parents Perspective Questionnaire? and analyze the effecting parameters. Material and Method: Patients with prelingual total congenital sensorineural hearing loss who received cochlear implant in Cukurova University school of medicine, Otolaryngology Department between March 2002 and November 2012 were included in study. Total number of patients was 161. Patients? parents were asked to answer the ?Parents Perspective questinnaire? which is consisted of 58 questions and 11 subscales. Parents satisfaction was analyzed in every subscales. Patients? age, attending school, and duration of implant were also analyzed together with subscales. Results: Age ranges of patients were 2-5 ages 62 patients (%38.5) and 99 patients were 6-11 years and over (%61.5) . Patients who were an implant user over 18 months were 127 (% 78.89), whereas 34 patients (%21.11) were using cochlear implant under 18 months. Number of patients who were not attending school was 70 (43,5%). Thirteen patients were attending kindergarden (8,1%), 63 to elementary school (39,1%) and 15 to high school (9,3%). One hundred fourty four parents (%89.5) were satisfied with cochlear implant. In summary; patients attending school had more self-confidence, users of implant over 18 months were better at social relations, self-confidence and patients at 6-11 years were better at social relations and had more self-confidence comparing to 2-5 years group. Conclusion: Cochlear implant?s positive effect on quality of life is a fact but parents have concerns at preoperative and postoperative period. Patients and parents should be informed carefully about cochlear implant. Also patients satisfaction is correlated with increasing duration of implant and age. Keywords: Cochlear implantation, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, quality of life, quality of life scale.