Cochlear Implant in Children

Abstract

Recent trends in cochlear implants for children were discussed with a review of the literature. For prelingually-deaf children, cochlear implant seemed to be superior to any other method for communication. Factors affecting the postoperative performance in speech perception and/or production included methods for communication used by the child preoperatively, and the child’s postoperative educational environment. Postoperative performance of postlingually-deaf children were not inferior to that of postlingually-deaf adults. In either pre- or postlingually-deaf children, use of the cochlear implant as early as possible appeared to be desirable. The incidence of complications following cochlear implant surgery was not greater in children than in adults. © 1993, The Society of Practical Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.