Cochlear implantation in children with unilateral hearing loss

Introduction The goal of cochlear implantation in children with single-sided deafness (SSD) is to facilitate binaural hearing, improve speech comprehension in quiet and in noise and spatial hearing. Thus, language acquisition should be as little impaired as possible and, as a result, increased attention and concentration for everyday school life.

Method Retrospective review of 19 unilateral (SSD) cochlear implanted children with congenital, infectious or traumatic causes for at least one year (age at implantation: 0;6 years to 6;3 years). Acceptance of the device, duration of daily use and localization ability were considered.

Results 6 (32 %) of the children showed a malformation of the inner ear, in one (5 %) child there is a traumatic unilateral deafness. Overall, unilateral cochlear implantation is accepted by 89 % of the children (5 % non-user, 5 % unknown), and 13 (68 %) children have localizability.

Conclusion Based on the Results, cochlear implantation may be an effective treatment option in children with single-sided deafness of differing origins. Important criteria for the decision to cochlear implantation seem the radiological assessment of the auditory nerve system and the duration of deafness.

Poster-PDF A-1621.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020