title: Cochlear implantation in children with postlingual hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although it is clear that early auditory stimulation through cochlear implantation (CI) has been shown to improve speech and language development trajectories for children with prelingual hearing loss, data supporting implantation in postlingual children are mostly lacking. The purpose of this study was to characterize speech perception abilities following CI in a group of children with previously well-developed language abilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight hearing-impaired children who received CIs were selected for study based on the presence of well-developed spoken language skills before implantation. Fifteen children with prelingual hearing loss served as a control group. Speech perception skills were assessed using developmentally appropriate measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with postlingual hearing loss showed a statistically significant improvement in open-set speech perception scores as early as 6 months following CI, whereas prelingual children demonstrated significant improvements only after 24 months of use. Despite these early disparities in performance, the two groups were similar 36 months after implantation and beyond (60 months of implant use).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with well-developed language abilities before CI showed substantial (and statistically significant) early improvements in open-set speech perception abilities following implantation that continued beyond 2 years of follow-up. These results suggest that postlingual children are excellent candidates for CI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Faisal I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Demason
authors.forename: Holly F B
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Teagle
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Oliver F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Adunka
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Buchman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D000072259:Connexin 26; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics; D003638:Deafness / Q000235:genetics / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000235:genetics / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013069:Speech Reception Threshold Test
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; D000072259:Connexin 26