Results of multiple-electrode cochlear implants in children

Abstract

Children in Australia and United States of America are now being implanted with the Nucleus 22 electrode intracochlear prosthesis utilizing the F0/F1F2 coding strategy. A total of 32 adolescents (10-17 years) and 24 preadolescents (2-9 years) have been implanted as of 31 August, 1987. No significant postoperative complications were recorded, the speech processors were successfully programmed, and all are users of the device. For the 56 children, the average length of postoperative stimulation time is 2.8 months. Because the majority of children have such short experience with the device we report herein two children from the University of Melbourne (A) and two children from the United States (U) who have been using the Nucleus system for 12 months or more. Child 1A has only 10 electrodes in the cochlea; therefore, the number of channels programmed for the children is 10, 17, 18 and 18, respectively. Child Al and A2 were deafened by meningitis at 3-3 and 3 years of age, respectively. Child U3 became profoundly deafened from a progressive sensorineural loss at age 11 and Child U4 was deafened by recurrent cochlear hydrops at age 13 years.