Prognostic factors in pediatric cochlear implant: an outcome-based study.

Abstract

To determine the prognostic factors in the pediatric cochlear implant (CI) outcome. This prospective cohort study was conducted on 289 pediatric cases with prelingual hearing loss who received cochlear implantation. Several possible salient factors have been recorded. Auditory and speech evaluations were performed before CI, as well as 6 and 12months after surgery, using Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) tests. According to univariate analysis, age at the time of surgery was a statistically significant factor. Neurological problems in the child, history of newborn infectious diseases, history of hearing aid use, proper parental cooperation, and round window approach were all significantly related to better auditory or speech outcomes. On the other hand, good parental cooperation and age (for CAP) and good parental cooperation, age, history of infectious disease, and hearing aids use (for SIR) are the significant factors in the multivariate setting. As evidenced by the obtained results, age, background diseases, history of rehabilitation with hearing aids, and surgical details are essential factors to be taken into account in the case-selection process.