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Updated: Jun 6, 2025
Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
Auditory Development of Young Children with Profound Hearing Loss, Cochlear Implants, and Congenital CMV Infection
Piotr H Skarzynski1,2, Anita Obrycka3, Aleksandra Kolodziejak1
1Teleaudiology and Screening Department, World Hearing Center, Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, 02-042 Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Children with congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection and hearing loss benefit from early cochlear implants (CIs). Auditory development is similar to peers without cCMV if no comorbidities are present.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is a leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss in infants.
- The impact of cCMV infection and associated comorbidities on auditory development in children with cochlear implants (CIs) requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess auditory development in young children with profound hearing loss, CIs, and cCMV infection.
- To determine the effect of comorbidities on auditory development in this population.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 47 children with cCMV infection and prelingual hearing loss received CIs (cCMV group).
- A reference group of 117 children with profound sensorineural hearing loss without cCMV infection and no comorbidities was included.
- Auditory development was evaluated using the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ) at multiple time points post-CI activation.
Main Results:
- Children with cCMV and no comorbidities showed significant auditory development, with mean LEAQ scores increasing from 9.8 to 28.9.
- Children with cCMV and comorbidities had a less pronounced auditory development, with mean LEAQ scores increasing from 4.5 to 18.5.
- The reference group without cCMV demonstrated robust auditory development, with mean LEAQ scores increasing from 9.2 to 31.6.
Conclusions:
- Early cochlear implantation in children with cCMV-related hearing loss and no comorbidities supports auditory development comparable to children without cCMV.
- Comorbidities associated with cCMV infection may negatively impact auditory development outcomes following cochlear implantation.
Abstract:
Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess auditory development in young children with profound hearing loss, cochlear implants (CIs), and congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection and to determine the effect of comorbidities on their development. Methods: The study group (cCMV group) consisted of 47 CI children-18 girls and 29 boys-who had been diagnosed as having prelingual hearing loss due to cCMV infection (with or without comorbidities); the mean age at CI activation was 15.2 months (range: 9.7-23.8; SD = 3.5). The reference group (no cCMV) consisted of 117 similar children (57 girls and 60 boys) who had profound sensorineural hearing loss not caused by cCMV infection; they had no comorbidities. The mean age at CI activation in the second group was 14.3 months (range: 7.9-23.5; SD = 4.0). Auditory development in all children was assessed with the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ) at CI activation and at about 1, 5, 9, 14, and 24 months of CI use. Results: The mean LEAQ total score increased over a similar time frame from 9.8 pts to 28.9 pts in the cCMV group without comorbidities, from 4.5 pts to 18.5 pts in the cCMV group with comorbidities, and from 9.2 to 31.6 pts in the reference group with no cCMV infection. Conclusions: Early cochlear implantation in children with sensorineural hearing loss due to congenital CMV infection and no comorbidities promotes their early auditory development in a similar way to children without cCMV infection.
