title: Cochlear implantation in children with cerebral palsy. A preliminary report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to assess the post-implantation speech perception and intelligibility of speech produced by five profoundly deaf children with cerebral palsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is derived by a review of a prospectively maintained data collection on all patients entering the cochlear implant program. Five children with cerebral palsy who underwent cochlear implantation participated in this study. Functional outcome was assessed using the Speech Perception Categories and the Speech Intelligibility Rating scale. The follow-up of the series ranged from 12 to 45 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the last follow-up, two children who were placed into speech perception category 1 (detection of a speech signal) preoperatively progressed to category 6 (open-set word recognition with familiar words) postoperatively. Two children moved from preoperative category 2 (pattern perception) to postoperative category 6. One child placed into category 0 (no detection of speech) preoperatively progressed to category 4 (word identification) postoperatively. Before implantation, three children had connected speech unintelligible, and two subjects had connected speech intelligible to a listener who concentrates and lip-reads. At the last follow-up, one child had connected speech unintelligible, two children had connected speech intelligible to a listener who concentrate and lip-reads, one child had connected speech intelligible to a listener who has little experience of a deaf person's speech, and one child had connected speech intelligible to all listeners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cochlear implantation allowed these patients to dramatically improve their quality of life, increasing their self-confidence, independence and social integration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. andreabacciu@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bacciu
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasanisi
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vincenti
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ormitti
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Lella
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guida
authors.forename: Mariateresa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berghenti
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bacciu
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013068:Speech Production Measurement