Cochlear Implantation for a Child with Auditory Nerve Disease: a Case Report

We present the case of a 5-year-old pediatric patient. On his first hospital visit at the age of 12 months, the results of his conditioned orientation response audiometry (COR) showed 30-45 dB HL, but his auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were bilaterally absent. However, the results of his distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) test. showed normal responses from both ears. Although he was fitted with hearing aids, he was still unable to show awareness of his parents' voice at normal loudness level. Because he was unable to speak any meaningful words up to the age of 3 years, he was implanted with a Nucleus Cl 24 M device on the right ear when he was 3 years old. After the cochlear implantation, his auditory responses were better than before in home and school environments. His hearing threshold levels with the cochlear implant (CI) became stable and approximately 40 dB HL at all frequencies. His vocabulary and communi cation's skills have been gradually increasing Lip to now. Our patient shows that cochlear implantation can be effective for certain children with auditory nerve disease.