Hearing Preservation Techniques in Pediatric Cochlear Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Preserving residual hearing following cochlear implantation (CI) improves outcomes and allows patients to use electrical and acoustic stimulation. Hearing preservation and minimizing intracochlear trauma during implantation have become key areas of research and device development in recent years. This meta-analysis evaluated whether patient characteristics or surgical methodology impact hearing preservation postpediatric CI.

A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature.

Per Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the databases were searched for English studies published before August 2024. Search terms were "hearing preservation," "cochlear implant," "audiometry," and "pediatric" and their synonyms. The main outcome was the percentage of ears with hearing preservation after CI. Patient, audiological, device, and surgical technique characteristics were extracted. The impact of these factors on hearing preservation was evaluated.

Twenty-four studies were included, with a total of 567 patients. Males comprised 50% of patients (95% confidence interval [CI]: 45%-55%). Mean patient age was 9.68 years (95% CI: 8.27-11.09 years). Mean pure tone averages (PTAs) before and after CI were 60.48 dB (95% CI: 48.81-72.14 dB) and 70.95 dB (95% CI: 56.75-85.15 dB), respectively. Hearing preservation was reported in 78% of ears (95% CI: 71%-85%), with high heterogeneity between studies (I² = 79.96%). Gender, surgical approach, electrode array, topical corticosteroids, and initial PTA were not significantly associated with hearing preservation.

Hearing preservation following pediatric CI occurred in 78% of ears. In this meta-analysis, no patient characteristic or surgical technique was significantly associated with hearing preservation.