*2.6. Statistical Analysis*

For the statistical analysis, the impedance values of all 12 electrode contacts of a patient were averaged at one time point to obtain a mean value. The one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey HSD multiple-comparison tests were used to compare the means and calculate the *p* values using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. Differences were considered statistically significant for *p* values < 0.05. All data were visualized using GraphPad Prism Version 8.3.0 and Microsoft Excel.

#### *2.7. Hearing Tests*

In order to evaluate speech understanding after cochlear implantation, the Freiburg monosyllabic speech test (FMB) and the Hochmair–Desoyer–Schulz–Moser (HSM) sentence tests [13], both in quiet and in noise at 0◦ azimuth (S0N0) and at a 10 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), were performed in our clinical routine and evaluated retrospectively. All speech tests were conducted in the free field or were directly coupled with sentences and monosyllables presented at 65 dB SPL [14]. The measurements were carried out at the same time points as the impedance measurements.
