Listening and spoken language outcomes after 5 years of cochlear implant use for children born preterm and at term

Abstract

Aim To compare listening and spoken language outcomes after cochlear implantation for children born preterm and at term, and to examine patterns associated with additional disabilities or gestational age. Method Children were included if they underwent cochlear implantation in 2013 or 2014 and had complete 5‐year follow‐up data available. An analysis of assessment data recorded annually was conducted, including outcomes as measured by the Category of Auditory Performance (CAP), the Speech Intelligibility Rating, Second Edition (SIR 2) scale, and the British Picture Vocabulary Scales, Third Edition (BPVS‐3). Analyses were conducted to measure the impact of preterm birth and of additional causes of disability on these outcomes. Results Eighty‐two children (39 males, 43 females; median corrected age at first cochlear implantation 28.5mo [interquartile range 16.3–48.5]) were included in the study. Children who underwent cochlear implantation experienced significant improvements as measured by the CAP, SIR 2, and BPVS‐3. Comparable improvements were seen in the groups born at term and preterm. Children with additional disabilities experienced significant improvement in all measures but performed less well than children without additional disabilities. Interpretation Infants born preterm benefit from cochlear implantation to a degree comparable to their peers born at term. Additional disabilities may limit improvements in speech intelligibility, listening performance, and receptive vocabulary. Children with additional disabilities, nonetheless, derived significant benefit from cochlear implantation; additional benefits of cochlear implantation for this subgroup may go unmeasured by the outcome tools used in this study.

Cochlear implantation in children born preterm

“…The study of Robertson et al 3 on long-term language outcomes following cochlear implantation documents that cochlear implants (a safe surgical procedure 4 ) are also an effective tool to allow language acquisition in children born preterm. By studying outcomes of language comprehension, production, and vocabulary in 19 children born preterm with implants, Robertson et al demonstrate that the mean language development scores after 5 years of cochlear implant use are only slightly below corresponding means of children born at term with implants.…”

“…The study of Robertson et al 3 . on long‐term language outcomes following cochlear implantation documents that cochlear implants (a safe surgical procedure 4 ) are also an effective tool to allow language acquisition in children born preterm.…”

“…Table 2 of the paper suggests and recent studies on deaf children born at term and implanted within the first 9 months of life 5 show that the benefit will be higher if implantations are consistently performed even earlier than in the Robertson et al study. 3…”