[Musical perception and enjoyment in post-lingual patients with cochlear implants]. / Percepción y disfrute de la música en pacientes poslocutivos con implante coclear.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate music perception and enjoyment following cochlear implantation and its impact on quality of life (QOL). MATERIAL AND METHOD: Eighty-eight adult post-lingually deaf cochlear implant users entered the study. The music questionnaire analyzed musical background, listening habits, and quality of musical sound through the cochlear implant. Music perception was evaluated with the Primary Measures of Music Audiation (PMMA). The Glasgow Benefit Inventory evaluated the quality of life (QOL). The music questionnaires, the PMMA and the GBI were completed by 84 %, 74 %, and 82 % of patients, respectively. RESULTS: Subjective enjoyment of music and listening habits decreased post-implantation when compared with prior to deafness. Mean scores for music perception were: tone 71 %, rhythm 78 %, timbre 61 %, songs 59 %, and melodies 23 %. The quality of music sound through the cochlear implant was associated with music enjoyment and with QOL. CONCLUSIONS: Music enjoyment and perception are possible with a cochlear implant. The quality of music sound through the cochlear implant influences post-operative QOL.

Changes in listening habits and quality of musical sound after cochlear implantation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate listening habits and quality of musical sound after cochlear implantation. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 89 consecutive, adult, postlingually deafened, cochlear implant recipients entered the study. Music questionnaire included questions about musical background, listening habits, and quality of musical sound through cochlear implants. Music perception was evaluated with the Primary Measures of Music Audiation (PMMA). The questionnaire and the PMMA were administered to 67 and 65 patients, respectively. RESULTS: Listening habits significantly decreased postimplantation. The mean score (0-100) for the adjective pairs "like-dislike," "sounds like music-doesn't sound like music," "natural-mechanical," and "easy to follow-difficult to follow" was 60, 59, 50, and 40, respectively. The adjective pairs were associated with music enjoyment. Mean PMMA scores were 71 and 78 percent for tone and rhythm, respectively, with no association with music enjoyment. CONCLUSION: Music perception through a cochlear implant is a complex phenomenon that depends on audiological and non-audiological factors.