The World of Sound and Speech in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Patients: An Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre in Central India

Abstract

Objectives − To assess the effect of auditory and speech rehabilitation according to the revised Category of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) score in patients who underwent Cochlear Implant (CI) surgery at a tertiary care centre in Central India.

Patients and Methods − This was a retrospective interventional study conducted at the Department of Pediatrics and Otorhinolaryngology of Chirayu Medical College and Hospital, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, during the period from 2014 to 2018, to assess the hearing and speech of the patients who underwent CI, and was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee.

Results − A total of 114 patients underwent surgery using the mastoidectomy-posterior tympanotomy (MPTA) approach at our centre. Of these, 61 (54%) were males and 53 (47%) were females, with a mean average age of 24.66 months. The number of patients with a right ear defect was 107 (93%) whereas with left ear defect there were only 7 (6%). Six patients were lost to follow-up. The majority of children fell into the 4th category followed by the 2nd category of CAP scoring, and in SIR scoring the majority of children fell into the 4th category, followed by the 3rd and 2ndcategories, which is statistically significant.

Conclusion − CI surgery is the gold standard for prelingual deafness. Early detection and early implantation of a CI is highly recommended for patients to enable them to live a healthier life. The study also indicated that early CI reduces the discrepancies between physical and expressive age. The CAP and SIR questionnaires were relevant and apt for assessment of hearing and speech development after CI.