Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Bilateral cochlear implantation in children: a systematic review and best-evidence synthesis
Marc J W Lammers1, Geert J M G van der Heijden, Vanessa E C Pourier
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht.
Objectives/Hypothesis:
To evaluate the effectiveness of bilateral cochlear implantation over unilateral implantation in children with sensorineural hearing loss.
Data Sources:
Pubmed, Embase, and Web of Science.
Review Methods:
All studies comparing a bilateral cochlear implant group with a unilateral implant group were included.
Results:
Twenty-one studies compared a bilateral cochlear implant group with a unilateral group. No randomized trials were identified. Due to the clinical heterogeneity, statistical pooling was not feasible and a best-evidence synthesis was performed. The results of this best-evidence synthesis indicate the positive effect of the second implant for especially sound localization and possibly for preverbal communication and language development. There was insufficient evidence to make a valid comparison between bilateral implantation and a bimodal fitting.
Conclusion:
Although randomized trials are lacking, the results of our best-evidence synthesis indicate that the second cochlear implant might be especially useful in sound localization and possibly also in language development.
