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Cochlear implantation versus auditory brainstem implantation in children with auditory nerve deficiencies

  • Otology
  • Published:
European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Cochlear nerve deficiency is one of the known causes of congenital sensorineural hearing loss. Management of hearing loss in children with cochlear nerve deficiency poses a multidimensional challenge. The absent or hypoplastic cochlear nerve may prevent electrical stimulation from reaching the brainstem and the auditory cortex. A deficient cochlear nerve can be associated with other inner ear malformations, which may diminish the success of cochlear implantation in those children. Promising results in adults after auditory brainstem implantation led to the expansion of candidacy to include the pediatric populations who were contraindicated for CIs.

Objective

To review the outcomes of cochlear implantation versus that of auditory brainstem implantation in children with various conditions of the auditory nerve.

Methods

This retrospective chart review study comprised two pediatric groups. The first group consisted of seven ABI recipients with cochlear nerve aplasia and the second group consisted of another seven children with cochlear nerve deficiencies who underwent CI surgery. The participants’ auditory skills and speech outcomes were assessed using different tests selected from the Evaluation of Auditory Responses to Speech (EARS) test battery.

Results

There were some individual variations in outcomes depending on the status of the auditory nerve. The mean CAP score of the ABI group was 2.87, while the mean SIR score was 0.62. On the other hand, the mean CAP score of the CI group was 1.29, while the mean SIR score was 0.42.

Conclusion

Our results are in good agreement with the reported auditory perception and speech and language development outcomes of pediatric auditory brainstem implantation. We added to the growing body of literature on the importance of verifying and identifying the status of the cochlear nerve in the decision-making process of the surgical management of those pediatric groups.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Deanship of Scientific Research, King Saud University, for providing funding through the Vice Deanship of Scientific Research Chairs. This research project was recommended by the Saudi Otorhinolaryngology Society. The authors would like to thank Wilnelia Adams for her help in editing the paper.

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There are no funders to report for this submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center (KAESC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Medhat Yousef, Ayna Almasaad, Salman Alhabib, Abdulrahman Hagr & Farid Alzhrani

  2. Otolaryngology Department, College of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin El Kom, Egypt

    Medhat Yousef

  3. Research Chair of Voice, Swallowing, and Communication Disorders, Otolaryngology Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Tamer A. Mesallam

  4. Otolaryngology Department, College of Medicine, King Saud University, P.O Box 245, Riyadh, 11411, Saudi Arabia

    Tamer A. Mesallam

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  1. Medhat Yousef
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  2. Tamer A. Mesallam
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  3. Ayna Almasaad
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  4. Salman Alhabib
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Correspondence to Tamer A. Mesallam.

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Ethical approval

Ethical approval was obtained by the Local Ethical Committee. All procedures performed in studies involving human par- ticipants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Written consent was taken from all participants included in the study.

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Yousef, M., Mesallam, T.A., Almasaad, A. et al. Cochlear implantation versus auditory brainstem implantation in children with auditory nerve deficiencies. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 279, 1295–1300 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-06792-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-021-06792-8

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