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Updated: Dec 24, 2025
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Changes in P1 latencies of children with normal hearing and those with cochlear implants
Emre Eskicioğlu1, Günay Kirkim1, Selhan Gürkan1
1Unit of Hearing, Speech and Balance, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey
Insights
P1 latency in children with normal hearing decreases with age. Cochlear implantation initially shows longer P1 latencies, which normalize over time in some children, aiding auditory pathway development assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric audiology
- Neuroscience
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- P1 latency is a key electrophysiological measure of auditory pathway maturation.
- Understanding age-related P1 latency in normal hearing is crucial for interpreting results in implanted children.
- Cochlear implantation aims to restore hearing but requires monitoring of auditory system development.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine age-related P1 latency intervals in children with normal hearing.
- Evaluate P1 latency changes post-cochlear implantation in pediatric patients.
- Assess the utility of P1 latency for auditory pathway development and cochlear implant programming.
Main Methods:
- Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) were used to measure P1 latencies.
- 60 children with normal hearing (0-6 years) had single P1 latency measurements.
- 16 children (0-6 years) with cochlear implants had P1 latency measured at multiple postoperative intervals.
Main Results:
- P1 latency significantly decreased with increasing age in children with normal hearing (P < 0.001).
- Children with cochlear implants exhibited significantly longer P1 latencies than age-matched controls initially (P < 0.001).
- P1 latency differences normalized by 3-6 months post-implantation in 10 children, but persisted in 6.
Conclusions:
- P1 latency serves as an objective indicator for assessing normal auditory pathway development in children.
- P1 latency monitoring can inform effective cochlear implant programming strategies.
- Early and ongoing P1 latency assessment is valuable in pediatric cochlear implant rehabilitation.
Background/Aim:
The aim of this study was to determine the age-related latency interval of P1 latencies of children with normal hearing, and to evaluate the P1 latency changes after surgery in children who underwent cochlear implantation.
Materials And Methods:
We evaluated 60 children with normal hearing and 16 children with cochlear implants aged 0–6 years using cortical auditory evoked potentials. P1 latencies were measured only once in the children with normal hearing, and on the postoperative first day, and the first, third, and sixth postoperative months in the children with cochlear implants.
Results:
There was a statistically significant decrease in the P1 latencies as the age increased in children with normal hearing (P < 0.001). It was determined that when the external partof the cochlear implant was applied, the P1 latencies of children with cochlear implants were significantly longer than those of age-matched children with normal hearing (P < 0.001). This difference disappeared in 10 children with implants at the third and sixth months, but significant differences remained in 6 children.
Conclusion:
P1 latency could be used as an objective tool to evaluate the normal development of auditory pathways, and may be helpful in the effective programming of children undergoing cochlear implantation.
