Cochlear implants for congenitally deaf adolescents: is open-set speech perception a realistic expectation?
The prognosis for benefit from use of cochlear implants in congenitally deaf adolescents, who have a long duration of profound deafness prior to implantation, has typically been low. Speech perception results for two congenitally deaf patients implanted as adolescents at the University of Melbourne/Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital Clinic show that, after 12 months of experience, both patients had significant open-set speech discrimination scores without lipreading. These results suggest that although benefits may in general be low for congenitally deaf adolescents, individuals may attain significant benefits to speech perception after a short period of experience. Prospective patients from this group should therefore be considered on an individual basis with regard to prognosis for benefit from cochlear implantation.
Sarant
J Z
JZ
Australian Bionic Ear and Hearing Research Institute, East Melbourne, Victoria.
Cowan
R S
RS
Blamey
P J
PJ
Galvin
K L
KL
Clark
G M
GM
D000293:Adolescent; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D013067:Speech Perception