Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Approximately 34 million children worldwide live with disabling hearing loss, and cochlear implantation has emerged as the primary surgical intervention for those with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing impairment who derive insufficient benefit from conventional hearing aids. Recent technological developments in electrode design, speech processing algorithms, and surgical techniques have expanded candidacy criteria and improved auditory outcomes, yet systematic evaluations comparing newer implant generations in pediatric populations remain limited. This research examined the audiological outcomes, speech perception development, and complication profiles associated with current-generation cochlear implant systems in children aged six months to five years across two tertiary referral centers in the Netherlands. A prospective longitudinal design enrolled 183 children who received cochlear implants between January 2021 and December 2022, with follow-up extending to 36 months post-activation. Participants were stratified by age at implantation into five groups spanning six-month intervals. Primary outcome measures included Categories of Auditory Performance scores, Speech Intelligibility Rating assessments, and parent-reported Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale questionnaires administered at six-month intervals. Secondary outcomes encompassed surgical complication rates, device reliability metrics, and electrode positioning verified through postoperative computed tomography imaging. Results demonstrated that children implanted before 12 months of age achieved significantly higher speech perception scores at 36 months compared to those implanted between 25 and 48 months (89.3% versus 63.1%, p
Institution: Erasmus MC
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7148907707