Cochlear Implantation in Children With a Long Average Duration of Single Sided Deafness.

Abstract

Previous research has shown the positive effects of cochlear implantation in children with a short duration of single sided deafness (SSD). This case series assessed the impact of cochlear implantation in a cohort of children with a longer average duration of SSD. A retrospective chart review of 6 children who received a cochlear implant for SSD. The mean age at time of cochlear implantation was 14.7 years old (median = 15.5, interquartile range (IQR) = 2.5) and mean duration of hearing loss before cochlear implantation was 10.8 years (median = 11.5, IQR = 5.3). Pre- and post-operative audiometric data for aided speech perception testing, sentence recognition in quiet, sentence recognition in noise, and word recognition scores were analyzed. When compared to preoperative hearing aid scores a 24% significant increase in median word score and a 64% significant increase in median sentence recognition score in quiet was observed at 12 months post-op. Cochlear implantation in children with a longer duration of SSD can provide benefit to speech recognition. This retrospective case series of children with prolonged single sided deafness demonstrated an improvement in word and sentence recognition within 12 months of receiving a cochlear implant.