Cochlear Implantation in Children with Single-Sided Deafness: Preoperative Assessment and Device Use

Objectives: To characterize the first cohort of cochlear implanted pediatric patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. Data includes etiology, age at implantation, balance testing, and language assessment prior to implantation as well as data log of Cochlear Implant usage. Methods: Clinical data from 34 children with SSD (21 females (62%) and 13 males (38%)), implanted with Cochlear Implant (CI) during 2018-2023, was analyzed. Results: Acquired prenatal and postnatal sensory disorders toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex (TORCH) risk factors were associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in 19 cases (56%). Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) DNA was diagnosed in 17 samples (50%). The cause of the SNHL remained unknown for 11 (32.4%) children. In 6 (66.7%) of the cases with unknown etiology, CT scan showed inner ear malformations (IEM). The mean (SD) age for implantation was 4.2 ± 3.5 years. For the children with congenital SNHL, the mean (SD) age for implantation was 2.6 ± 1.6 years. For the children with acquired SNHL, the mean (SD) age for implantation was 6.9 ± 4.3 years. Data log showed that children with SSD and CI wore their processor 6.2 ± 3.73 (1 SD) h/day. Conclusions: Further work is needed in order to assess how etiology, age at implantation, and device use affect outcome. Understanding of the long-term outcomes associated with CI in children with SSD can contribute to more thorough counselling on outcome expectations and the best auditory rehabilitation.