Full text

Turn on search term navigation

© 2015 Ji et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background

Auditory neuropathy (AN) is a recently recognized hearing disorder characterized by intact outer hair cell function, disrupted auditory nerve synchronization and poor speech perception and recognition. Cochlear implants (CIs) are currently the most promising intervention for improving hearing and speech in individuals with AN. Although previous studies have shown optimistic results, there was large variability concerning benefits of CIs among individuals with AN. The data indicate that different criteria are needed to evaluate the benefit of CIs in these children compared to those with sensorineural hearing loss. We hypothesized that a hierarchic assessment would be more appropriate to evaluate the benefits of cochlear implantation in AN individuals.

Methods

Eight prelingual children with AN who received unilateral CIs were included in this study. Hearing sensitivity and speech recognition were evaluated pre- and postoperatively within each subject. The efficacy of cochlear implantation was assessed using a stepwise hierarchic evaluation for achieving: (1) effective audibility, (2) improved speech recognition, (3) effective speech, and (4) effective communication.

Results

The postoperative hearing and speech performance varied among the subjects. According to the hierarchic assessment, all eight subjects approached the primary level of effective audibility, with an average implanted hearing threshold of 43.8 ± 10.2 dB HL. Five subjects (62.5%) attained the level of improved speech recognition, one (12.5%) reached the level of effective speech, and none of the subjects (0.0%) achieved effective communication.

Conclusion

CIs benefit prelingual children with AN to varying extents. A hierarchic evaluation provides a more suitable method to determine the benefits that AN individuals will likely receive from cochlear implantation.

Details

Title
Determination of Benefits of Cochlear Implantation in Children with Auditory Neuropathy
Author
Ji, Fei; Li, Jianan; Hong, Mengdi; Chen, Aiting; Jiao, Qingshan; Sun, Li; Liang, Sichao; Yang, Shiming
First page
e0127566
Section
Research Article
Publication year
2015
Publication date
May 2015
Publisher
Public Library of Science
e-ISSN
19326203
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1683370562
Copyright
© 2015 Ji et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.