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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Paediatric cochlear implantation in the first and in the second year of life: a comparative study
A Lesinski-Schiedat1, A Illg, R Heermann
1Department of Otolaryngology, Medical University of Hannover, Germany. les@hoerzentrum-hannover.de
Insights
Cochlear implantation before age 1 is safe and effective for children with profound bilateral hearing loss. Early implantation leads to superior speech understanding development compared to later procedures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation outcomes in children are successful.
- Age for cochlear implantation is decreasing.
- Newborn hearing screening is established.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate safety and effectiveness of cochlear implantation before 1 year of age.
- Compare outcomes in children implanted before 1 year versus 1-2 years.
- Assess speech understanding development in young cochlear implant recipients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 27 children implanted before age 1 (Group 1) and 89 children implanted between 1-2 years (Group 2).
- Analysis of patient data including medical history, implantation details, rehabilitation, and speech understanding.
- Comparison of audiological and speech outcomes between the two groups.
Main Results:
- No increase in surgical or anesthesiological complications for early implantation.
- Group 1 showed better hearing development and speech understanding after two years.
- Outcomes correlated more strongly with chronological age than duration of rehabilitation.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implantation before age 1 carries no additional risk.
- Children implanted before age 1 demonstrate superior speech understanding development.
- Recommend cochlear implantation for very young children with profound bilateral hearing loss.
Background:
Successful outcomes of cochlear implantation in children have led to a gradual reduction in the age at which implantation is performed. Now that newborn hearing screening and a reliable audiological diagnostic procedure are well established, the question has been raised as to whether implantation before the age of 1 year is effective and safe.
Material And Method:
The study included 27 children implanted before the age of 1 year (group 1) and 89 children implanted between the ages of 1 and 2 years (group 2). Patient-related data were analysed with respect to individual anamnesis, implantation, rehabilitation and speech understanding.
Results:
Irrespective of the children's age, the incidence of surgical or anaesthesiological complications did not increase. After two years, group 1 demonstrated better results in terms of development of hearing and speech understanding. These results correlated more closely with the children's actual age than with the length of time in rehabilitation.
Conclusion:
This study revealed that children implanted before the age of 1 year were subjected to no additional risks and showed superior development of speech understanding. Cochlear implantation should therefore be performed in very young children identified as suffering from profound bilateral hearing loss.
