title: Cochlear implantation in infants less than 12 months of age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Infants are diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss at an earlier age due to the advent of universal newborn hearing screening. This offers the opportunity to provide intervention in the form of cochlear implantation at an earlier age than was previously possible. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the risk of cochlear implant surgery in children less than 12 months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of children who underwent cochlear implantation before 12 months of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were identified from a database of pediatric cochlear implant patients at a tertiary care center. All patients were diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss by otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response. Follow-up ranged from 2 months to 5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen of 15 patients had full insertions of the electrode hardware. Less than full insertion and post-operative CSF otorrhea occurred in one patient with severe cochlear abnormalities. There were no other perioperative surgical complications. The average speech detection threshold was 27.6 dB (20-45 dB) at approximately 1-3 months post-stimulation and 25 dB (15-30 dB) at approximately 5-7 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our experience, we feel cochlear implantation is safe for infants as young as 6 months of age. The current standard at our institution is to implant by 7 months of age for prelingual deafness as opposed to waiting additional time until 12 months of age before the brain is presented with speech.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, MN, United States. dvalenci@umn.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Valencia
authors.forename: Frank L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Rimell
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Melisa R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Oblander
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Helmbrecht
mesh_terms: D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception