Newborn Hearing Screening Affects Age Children Receive Cochlear Implantation

What influence does the introduction of newborn hearing screening programs have on the age at which cochlear implantation occurs in children?

Background: Early cochlear implantation in children has a positive effect on the development of the auditory pathway and on post-operative outcomes, but delays in the severe hearing impairment detection or recognition could introduce undesired speech development and verbal communication skills retardation. The introduction of newborn hearing screening programs has allowed very early detection of hearing impairment, but the extent of this influence is unknown.

Study design: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study of 1,299 pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users who received their implants before age 5 between 1995 and 2011.

Setting: Hannover Medical School (MHH), Germany, and University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, Netherlands.

Pages: 1 | 2 | Single Page