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Published on: January 9, 2019
Cochlear implants in children younger than 6 months
Liliana Colletti1, Marco Mandalà, Vittorio Colletti
1ENT Department, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. vittoriocolletti@yahoo.com
Insights
Cochlear implantation in infants younger than 6 months shows improved auditory outcomes without increased complications. Early implantation significantly benefits speech perception, production, and language development in children with profound hearing loss.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Profound sensorineural bilateral hearing loss impacts child development.
- Early intervention is crucial for auditory development.
- Cochlear implantation is a key treatment for severe hearing loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess long-term outcomes of cochlear implantation in children under 6 months.
- To compare auditory performance in very young vs. older implanted children.
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of early cochlear implantation.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study at a tertiary referral center.
- Four groups of infants (2-24 months) with profound hearing loss received cochlear implants.
- Longitudinal follow-up for 4 years, assessing speech perception, language, and vocabulary.
Main Results:
- Age at implantation significantly influenced speech perception, production, and language outcomes.
- Children implanted before 6 months showed significantly better auditory-based outcomes.
- No major complications and no increased rate of minor complications were observed in younger children.
Conclusions:
- Early cochlear implantation (before 6 months) leads to improved auditory outcomes.
- Cochlear implantation in very young infants is safe and effective.
- Further extensive research is needed to confirm these exploratory findings.
Objectives:
(1) To determine the long-term outcomes of cochlear implantation in children implanted younger than 6 months and (2) to evaluate auditory-based performance in very young children compared with older children, all with profound sensorineural bilateral hearing loss.
Study Design:
Prospective cohort study.
Setting:
Tertiary referral center.
Subjects And Methods:
Twelve subjects aged 2 to 6 months, 9 aged 7 to 12 months, 11 aged 13 to 18 months, and 13 aged 19 to 24 months, all with profound bilateral hearing loss, were fitted with cochlear implants and followed longitudinally for 4 years. Subjects were developmentally normal with no additional disabilities (visual, motor, or cognitive). Auditory-based communication outcomes included tests for speech perception, receptive language development, receptive vocabulary, and speech production.
Results:
Age at cochlear implantation was a significant factor in most outcome measures, contributing significantly to speech perception, speech production, and language outcomes. There were no major complications and no significantly higher rates of minor complications in the younger children.
Conclusion:
This article reports an uncontrolled observational study on a small group of infants fitted with cochlear implants following personal audiological criteria and, up to now, with limited literature support due to the innovative nature of the study. This study shows, for the first time, significantly improved auditory-based outcomes in children implanted younger than 6 months and without an increased rate of complications. The data from the present study must be considered as explorative, and a more extensive study is required.