Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Testing a Cochlear Implant Electrode Insertion Training System for Optimal Electrode Array Placement in Different Inner Ear Anatomies
Published on: February 6, 2026
Cochlear implantation in the very young child: issues unique to the under-1 population
Maura Cosetti1, J Thomas Roland
1New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Insights
Cochlear implantation is safe and effective for infants under 12 months. Early intervention with cochlear implants significantly improves speech and language development in very young children.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Pediatric Audiology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation candidacy criteria have expanded to include younger patients.
- Evidence supports perioperative safety and speech/language benefits of early auditory intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review challenges and outcomes of cochlear implantation in children under 12 months.
- To assess the safety and efficacy of early cochlear implantation.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on pediatric cochlear implantation.
- Analysis of diagnostic, surgical, programming, and developmental aspects.
Main Results:
- Cochlear implantation before 1 year of age is safe and effective.
- Early intervention demonstrates significant speech and language benefits.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implantation in infants under 12 months is safe and efficacious.
- Addressing unique challenges is key to successful outcomes in very young children.
Abstract:
Since the advent of cochlear implantation, candidacy criteria have slowly broadened to include increasingly younger patients. Spurred by evidence demonstrating both perioperative safety and significantly increased speech and language benefit with early auditory intervention, children younger than 12 months of age are now being successfully implanted at many centers. This review highlights the unique challenges involved in cochlear implantation in the very young child, specifically diagnosis and certainty of testing, anesthetic risk, surgical technique, intraoperative testing and postoperative programming, long-term safety, development of receptive and expressive language, and outcomes of speech perception. Overall, the current body of literature indicates that cochlear implantation prior to 1 year of age is both safe and efficacious.