Unilateral Deafness in Children: Audiologic and Subjective Assessment of Hearing Ability After Cochlear Implantation

Objectives: Recently, several studies have shown that a cochlear implant is a suitable treatment for hearing rehabilitation of adults with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (UHL), and benefits for speech comprehension in noise and localization have been demonstrated. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the benefit of cochlear implantation in children with UHL in comparison to their unaided listening situation. Study design: Prospective repeated measures single subject design. Setting: Tertiary referral center; cochlear implant (CI) program Patients: Three children (4, 10, and 11 yr) with noncongenital UHL resulting from different causes were enrolled in the study. Intervention: After extensive consultation with each family and confirming CI-candidacy, each child received a cochlear implant. Main Outcome Measures: Open set speech recognition measures in competing background noise and tests of sound localization were performed for unaided preoperative and CI-aided postimplant intervals after 6 and 12 months. The parent and child versions of the Speech, Spatial and Qualities scale (SSQ) were used for subjective evaluation of hearing at preimplant and 12-month postimplant intervals. Conclusion: All children consistently use their CI 1 year postimplant. Our preliminary results suggest binaural hearing benefits for speech understanding in noise, localization ability and subjectively perceived hearing ability for school-aged children with UHL. Trends for CI-benefits in younger preschoolaged children are confirmed through subjective assessment reported by the parents. The benefits in hearing performance suggest binaural integration and processing of electric and acoustic stimulation arriving at 2 different ears is possible for children with UHL.