Outcomes of cochlear implantation in children with auditory neuropathy

Ten children who were diagnosed with auditory neuropathy were matched with ten children who were diagnosed with other etiologies. All twenty children received cochlear implants at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Various measures were used to compare the outcomes for the two groups. We compared the children's unaided and aided audiograms, and measures of threshold and comfort levels. Performance on age appropriate speech perception tests was measured. Electrically elicited auditory brainstem response, predicted Neural Response Telemetry thresholds, and visually detected electrical stapedius reflexes were compared. Parental report of cochlear implant benefit was evaluated using either the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale or the Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale depending on the age of the child. We also compared educational placement and communication mode. The results of this study demonstrated that there were no important differences in cochlear implant benefit between the two groups. In light of these findings, we support the use of cochlear implants as a viable option for selected children with auditory neuropathy.