Pediatric Robotic Cochlear Implantation: Hearing Outcomes

Cochlear implantation is the standard of care for children with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, offering substantial improvements in speech intelligibility, tonal audiometry perception, language acquisition, and overall quality of life. While robotic-assisted insertion systems may enhance surgical precision and minimize complications, their impact on auditory outcomes has not been definitively established.

This retrospective study compared audiometric results of 20 cochlear implantations between August 2017 and September 2023. Twenty procedures were reviewed, including 10 manual insertions (n = 10) and 10 robot-assisted insertions using RobOtol (n = 10). Secondary outcomes included operative time and perioperative complications.

Results showed comparable hearing outcomes at both 1 month (p = 0.82) and 1 year (p = 0.36) postoperatively. Operative durations did not differ significantly between manual and robotic approaches (p = 0.198). No major complications or adverse events were recorded.

Although audiometric results were not significantly different, a prospective multicenter randomized study would be required to confirm the absence of any effect of robot-assisted insertion on hearing results. This study confirmed that robot-assisted cochlear implantation was a safe and effective alternative to the manual technique in the pediatric population.