title: Central auditory development in children with bilateral cochlear implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the time course of maturation of P1 latencies in infant sequential and simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pediatric collaborative cochlear implant program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four children who received bilateral cochlear implants prior to age 2 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cortical auditory evoked potential was completed to determine the latency of the P1 response in 4 children with bilateral cochlear implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal development of the latency of the P1 cortical auditory evoked potential in children who received bilateral cochlear implants prior to age 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2 patients who received sequential bilateral implants, P1 latencies recorded from the first implanted ear were within normal limits after 3 to 6 months of implant use. By comparison, P1 latencies from the second implanted ear reached normal limits as early as 1 month after implant use. In 2 patients who received simultaneous bilateral implants, P1 latencies from both ears were also within normal limits in a very short time frame (ie, by 1 month poststimulation).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest a high degree of plasticity of the central auditory pathways after early bilateral implantation. We find that P1 latencies provide a clinically useful biomarker of central auditory system development in children after cochlear implantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75230, USA. bauer@entforchildren.net
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorman
mesh_terms: D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011930:Reaction Time