A study documents that children who receive a cochlear implantation experience a significant improvement in their auditory perception.
Children with a severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss will experience substantial improvements in their auditory perception if they receive cochlear implants, an Indian study finds.
The study was conducted among 50 children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who underwent a cochlear implantation (CI) at an Indian tertiary care centre between October 2011 and March 2013. 15 of the children (30%) underwent a cochlear implantation at over 5 years of age and 35 of the children (70%) underwent cochlear implantation at under or equal to 5 years age. The maximum age in the study was 10 years.
All of the patients received auditory and speech rehabilitation and their auditory perception outcomes were evaluated one year after the implantation.
The two age groups
Both age groups experienced substantial improvements in their auditory perception.
The study found significantly improved auditory perception outcomes one year after the cochlear implantation in the age group ‘5 years or under’ and the outcomes were better than among those who underwent cochlear implantation at ‘over 5 years of age’. But the study also found that among children who underwent a cochlear implantation at over 5 years of age, there was a substantial improvement in auditory perception outcomes.
The study, “Effects of Age at Cochlear Implantation on Auditory Outcomes in Cochlear Implant Recipient Children”, was published in The Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery.
Sources: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and The Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery
