Assessing Gait Stability before and after Cochlear Implantation

Background. It is known that cochlear implantation may alter the inner ear and induce vestibular disorders. Research Question. How does cochlear implantation influence gait stability? Material and Methods. An experimental group of twenty-one subjects scheduled for cochlear implantation underwent gait testing twice, on the day before cochlear implantation (BCI) and three months after cochlear implantation (ACI), using a motion capture system. A control group of 30 age-matched healthy individuals were also tested. Results. In the experimental group, the gait stability ratio (GSR) was found to improve in 17 subjects after implantation, by an average of 6%. Certain other parameters also showed statistically significant improvement between the two experimental group tests: step time (p

http://bit.ly/2FwlQrl