Results of cochlear implantation in children with post-meningitic deafness

Abstract

Objective. Evaluation of the effect of cochlear implantation in children who have had meningitis. Materials and methods. The children were tested before implantation with their conventional hearing aids and after implantation at regular intervals with their implant. Audiometry, auditory speech perception tests and the Reynell Developmental Language scales were used for evaluation. Results. The average threshold after implantation was at50 dB. Three years post-implantation the auditory speech perception skills of children with an implant were comparable with those of children with a threshold of 70–80 dB who use conventional hearing aids. The average percentage monosyllable recognition before implantation was 0%, 3 years post-implantation (66%) and 6 years post (90%). The oral language acquisition retarded after the meningitis. Twelve months post-implantation the language quotient increased up to 1, implying that the children developed at the same rate as their normal hearing peers. Nine of the 24 children who had used their implant for more than 2 years were in mainstream school. Conclusion. Cochlear implantation in children who were deaf after meningitis, showed increased auditory ability and an increased rate of language acquisition.