title: The benefits of sequential bilateral cochlear implantation for hearing-impaired children.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Sequential bilateral implantation offers listening advantages demonstrable on speech recognition in noise and for lateralization. Whilst the trend was for shorter inter-implant intervals and longer implant experience to positively impact binaural advantage, we observed no contraindications for binaural advantage.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the benefits of sequential bilateral cochlear implantation over unilateral implantation in a multicentre study evaluating speech recognition in noise and lateralization of sound.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty children, implanted bilaterally in sequential procedures, had the following characteristics: they were native German-speaking, were3 years or older and had a minimum of 1 year inter-implant interval and had between 2 months and 4 years 7 months binaural listening experience. Binaural advantage was assessed including speech recognition in noise using the Regensburg modification of the Oldenburger Kinder-Reimtest (OLKI) and lateralization of broadband stimuli from three speakers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant binaural advantage of 37% was observed for speech recognition in noise. Binaural lateralization ability was statistically superior for the first and second implanted ear (p = 0.009, p = 0.001, respectively). Binaural experience was shown to correlate moderately with absolute binaural speech recognition scores, with binaural advantage for speech recognition and with binaural lateralization ability. The time interval between implants correlated in an inverse direction with binaural advantage for speech recognition.
authors.affiliation: HNO Klinik Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Germany. thomas.steffens@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lesinski-Schiedat
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strutz
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aschendorff
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klenzner
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rühl
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wesarg
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laszig
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lenarz
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003638:Deafness / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013017:Sound Localization / Q000502:physiology*; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test