Preliminary results of auditory brainstem implantation in prelingually deaf children with inner ear malformations including severe stenosis of the cochlear aperture and aplasia of the cochlear nerve.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of our study is to present the results of 11 children where auditory brainstem implantation (ABI) was successfully performed to restore hearing.


METHODS
Case presentation. This study was conducted at the departments of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery at Hacettepe University Ankara, Turkey.


METHODS
Between July 2006 and April 2008, 11 prelingual (30-56 mo) deaf children with several cochlear malformations had ABI.


METHODS
All patients were programmed and were enrolled in auditory verbal therapy sessions and family counseling programs at Hacettepe Auditory Verbal Center. The evaluation was performed at preimplant and again 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-switch on.


METHODS
The main test components composing this test battery were Ling 6 Sound Detection-Identification Test, Word Identification Test in Turkish, Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, and Meaningful Use of Speech Scale.


RESULTS
Successful brainstem implantations were performed in all patients with retrosigmoid approach. Six children gained basic audiologic functions and were able to recognize and discriminate sounds, and many could identify environmental sounds such as a doorbell and telephone ring by the third month of ABI. Improvement in mean performance on Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale is apparent for all ABI children. Improvement in Meaningful Use of Speech Scale scores in 2 patients, demonstrating that the child using its own voice for speech performance, was observed between the baseline and 12th month. First, 5 children were able to identify Ling's 6 sound by the end of 2 to 6 months, and 2 of them also started to identify words due to their pattern differences and multisyllabic word identification by 6 to 9 months. Two children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder have made slower progress than the other children with ABIs.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary results show that there is adequate contribution of brainstem implants in the development of auditory-verbal skills. Additional handicaps slow the progress of the prelingually deaf children.
Sennaroglu
Levent
L
Department of Otolaryngology, Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey. lsennar@tr.net
Ziyal
Ibrahim
I
Atas
Ahmet
A
Sennaroglu
Gonca
G
Yucel
Esra
E
Sevinc
Sebnem
S
Ekin
Meltem Ciğdem
MC
Sarac
Sarp
S
Atay
Gamze
G
Ozgen
Burce
B
Ozcan
Osman Ekin
OE
Belgin
Erol
E
Colletti
Vittorio
V
Turan
Ergin
E
D038263:Auditory Brain Stem Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003051:Cochlea / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D015834:Cochlear Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic; D003638:Deafness / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D007758:Ear, Inner / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed