Objectives: To assess objective speech recognition performance, aided hearing thresholds, and dynamic ranges following a one-year usage with the new Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor (SP), in experienced cochlear implant (CI) users with previous SPs for more than 10 years who are believed to have a stable performance.
Methods: 77 experienced CI users who were newly fitted with and used the Nucleus 7 SP for more than one year were enrolled. Baseline open-set monosyllabic word recognition score (WRS) using each participant's previous SP was assessed before the upgrade to the Nucleus 7 SP and were compared to the WRS which was assessed 1 year after the upgrade of SP using the new SP. To adjust the variables according to the timing of the examination, the baseline WRSs using previous SPs were compared to those assessed 1 year before the upgrade, using previous SPs. Changes of aided hearing thresholds and C- and T-levels were analyzed in the same manner.
Results: The average period of the CI usage were 182 months. Previous SPs were 3G in 5, Freedom in 40, N5 in 24, and N6 in 6. The baseline WRSs (76±19%) using previous SPs were equivalent to those (74±19%) obtained using the same previous SP 1 year before the upgrade. However, WRS (80±17%) with the Nucleus 7 SP at 1 year after the upgrade was significantly better when compared to performance with the previous SP. There were significant improvement of 2-7 dB in aided hearing thresholds with the new SP compared to the previous SPs, with more improvement at higher frequencies. The Nucleus 7 SP showed similar currents in C-levels, but significantly higher T-levels at high frequencies compared to the previous SP.
Conclusions: Long-term CI users showed improved speech perception ability and better hearing thresholds after upgrade to the Nucleus 7 speech processor, though they had showed stable speech perception ability with previous SPs at annual evaluation.

**Objectives:** To assess objective speech recognition performance, aided hearing thresholds, and dynamic ranges following a one-year usage with the new Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor (SP), in experienced cochlear implant (CI) users with previous SPs for more than 10 years who are believed to have a stable performance.
**Methods:** 77 experienced CI users who were newly fitted with and used the Nucleus 7 SP for more than one year were enrolled. Baseline open-set monosyllabic word recognition score (WRS) using each participant's previous SP was assessed before the upgrade to the Nucleus 7 SP and were compared to the WRS which was assessed 1 year after the upgrade of SP using the new SP. To adjust the variables according to the timing of the examination, the baseline WRSs using previous SPs were compared to those assessed 1 year before the upgrade, using previous SPs. Changes of aided hearing thresholds and C- and T-levels were analyzed in the same manner.
**Results: The** average period of the CI usage were 182 months. Previous SPs were 3G in 5, Freedom in 40, N5 in 24, and N6 in 6. The baseline WRSs (76±19%) using previous SPs were equivalent to those (74±19%) obtained using the same previous SP 1 year before the upgrade. However, WRS (80±17%) with the Nucleus 7 SP at 1 year after the upgrade was significantly better when compared to performance with the previous SP. There were significant improvement of 2-7 dB in aided hearing thresholds with the new SP compared to the previous SPs, with more improvement at higher frequencies. The Nucleus 7 SP showed similar currents in C-levels, but significantly higher T-levels at high frequencies compared to the previous SP.
**Conclusions: Long-term** CI users showed improved speech perception ability and better hearing thresholds after upgrade to the Nucleus 7 speech processor, though they had showed stable speech perception ability with previous SPs at annual evaluation.

Speech perception outcomes by the new Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor compared to previous processors in experienced cochlear implant users for more than 10 years

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,