Mapping of pediatric cochlear implant recipients using electrical auditory brainstem responses as a tool

Abstract

Objective: With expanding cochlear implant (CI) candidacy criteria young children, children with additional co-morbidities and abnormal cochlea are being implanted. In many of these cases, the child's behavioral or cognitive limitations may make doing the task of behavioral mapping difficult or impossible in pediatric CI recipients (CIR). Therefore, the present study was aimed to determine whether behavioral thresholds (T) could be predicted from objective measurements of electrical auditory brainstem responses (EABR). Methodology: Seventy-five pediatric CIR using nucleus 24 R (ST) implant and operated and visiting the CI center of a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India were prospectively enrolled in the study. The correlation between postoperative thresholds-EABR (t-EABR) with behaviorally obtained T and C levels was studied for CIR in the age range of 5-9 years. Statistical Analysis: The significance of the correlation was calculated using Karl Pearson's correlation. Results: Mean age of CIR was 9 ± 1.6 years, with male: female: 38:37. Of the 75 recipients, one had Mondini deformity, and two subjects had auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder as per their medical records. The group correlation coefficient was found to be r = 0.989 at P < 0.0001 for the T level and r = 0.885 at P < 0.0001 for C level versus t-EABR. Conclusion: t-EABR was found to be more correlated with T levels than with C levels, and it was always between T and C levels.