Auditory perception changes after reimplantation in a child cochlear implant user.
The ability to remove cochlear implants from children and subsequently reimplant a more complex device in the same ear was the concern of this single case study. A postlinguistically deafened child, J.L., received a single-channel cochlear implant 1 yr after contracting meningitis and suffering a profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. After 3 yr of successful implant use, J.L. suffered an internal coil failure. She was then explanted and reimplanted with a multichannel cochlear implant in the same ear. This case report details her speech perception skills with her single-channel cochlear implant, a vibrotactile aid, and a multichannel cochlear implant. Results from auditory perceptual measures suggest that the explantation/reimplantation process was technically feasible with no adverse effects on J.L.'s ability to utilize a more sophisticated device and to exceed her previous performance levels.
Chute
P M
PM
Cochlear Implant Center, Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York, New York.
Hellman
S A
SA
Parisier
S C
SC
Tartter
V C
VC
Economou
A
A
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001307:Auditory Perception; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013016:Sound; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013063:Speech Discrimination Tests