title: Three-year postimplantation auditory outcomes in children with sequential bilateral cochlear implantation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We report on the auditory abilities and speech performance in quiet and noise of 35 children with sequential bilateral cochlear implantation after 3 years of bilateral implant use.
  
  
  METHODS
  Testing was done in bilateral and both unilateral listening conditions. The assessments took place before the second implantation and at several time intervals after fitting. As different auditory tests were used, the children were categorized by their age at the second implantation: younger or older than 6 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pure tone averages for the bilateral condition were significantly better than those for either unilateral condition after 12 months of bilateral implant use and remained so from that test interval onward. The speech recognition outcomes in quiet and noise also improved significantly for almost all children after 36 months, although a linear regression analysis showed a beneficial effect of younger age at first implantation on the speech-in-noise results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bilateral cochlear implantation offered advantages to all children in comparison with the first implant--even the children who received the second implant after the age of 6 years. Compared to the younger children, the older children needed a longer adjustment period to gain bilateral benefit. However, they obtained similar results after 2 years of bilateral implant use.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp University, Edegem, Belgium.
authors: Fanny
authors: F
authors: Scherf
authors: Lieselot
authors: L
authors: Van Deun
authors: Astrid
authors: A
authors: van Wieringen
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Wouters
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Desloovere
authors: Ingeborg
authors: I
authors: Dhooge
authors: Erwin
authors: E
authors: Offeciers
authors: Naïma
authors: N
authors: Deggouj
authors: Leo
authors: L
authors: De Raeve
authors: Floris L
authors: FL
authors: Wuyts
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Van de Heyning
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013067:Speech Perception; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test; D016896:Treatment Outcome