Ocena percepcji słuchowej u dzieci z obustronnym głębokim niedosłuchem odbiorczym implantowanych obustronnie i jednostronnie

Abstract

Aims

First, to investigate speech perception in bilaterally and monaurally implanted children with prelingual deafness. Second, to evaluate speech understanding in the second implant itself after 12 months of use compared to the aided results in the ear that was implanted first.

Material and methods

This study analyzes results of speech perception in two groups of children: implanted bilaterally (10 patients) and monaurally (10 patients in the same age as the first group). Children were given their first cochlear implant at the mean age of 2.6 years old (2–4 years old), the second at the age between 5 and 9 years (mean 8.7 years old). The average interval between the first and second implantation was 3.7 years. The monosyllabic word recognition test in free field at the level of 65 dB SPL was used.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in speech perception scores between monaurally and bilaterally implanted children, 76.0% vs. 87.0%, respectively (p > 0.05). After 12 months of the device used, in the group of bilaterally implanted children, the speech perception in the first implanted ear scored 86.43% compared to 55.71% in the later implanted. This difference was found to be significant.

Conclusions

The analysis showed that the second implant just slightly improved speech understanding (test in quiet) compared to the unilaterally implanted children. In addition, in the group of bilaterally implanted children after 12 months of implants use, the performance in the later implanted ear was still worse compared to the initially implanted ear.