Speech performance in pediatric users of Nurotron ® Venus™ cochlear implants

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Pediatric Otolaryngology

Background:

• Cochlear implantation (CI) is a vital intervention for pediatric hearing loss.
• Longitudinal data on speech development in pediatric CI users is crucial for understanding outcomes.
• The Nurotron(®) Venus™ cochlear implant system is used in this study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the 3-year longitudinal speech performance in pediatric Nurotron(®) cochlear implant users.
• To compare speech outcomes between younger (<3 years) and older (>3 years) pediatric CI recipients.

Main Methods:

• 22 Mandarin-speaking pediatric CI users were evaluated over 36 months post-implantation.
• Speech performance was measured using the Mandarin Early Speech Perception (MESP), Meaningful Use of Speech Scale (MUSS), and Putonghua Chinese Communicative Development Inventory (PCDI).
• Participants were categorized into younger (<3 years) and older (>3 years) implantation age groups.

Main Results:

• All pediatric CI users demonstrated significant speech performance improvements over 3 years, with scores peaking at 36 months.
• Median MESP scores increased from 0.23 to 5.57, MUSS from 5.57% to 73.75%, and PCDI comprehension/production scores substantially improved.
• The older CI group generally outperformed the younger group, except at 24 months where the younger group showed higher MUSS scores.

Conclusions:

• Nurotron(®) Venus™ CI users exhibit substantial speech and language development, including tone performance, which correlates with hearing age.
• Early implantation did not yield significantly superior outcomes until 24 months post-implantation across all tested metrics.