Early results using the nucleus CI24M in children.

OBJECTIVE

To report early postimplantation speech recognition results in children who received Nucleus CI24M cochlear implants.

STUDY DESIGN

The study group consisted of 19 consecutively implanted children.

PATIENTS AND SETTING

Congenitally deaf children (20 months to 15 years old) were implanted with the Nucleus CI24M and followed-up at New York University Medical Center for a period of 3 to 12 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Speech perception was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using the Early Speech Perception (ESP) test, the Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure (GASP) word and sentence tests, Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten (PBK) monosyllabic word lists, Common Phrases test, the Multisyllabic and Lexical Neighborhood (MLNT, LNT) tests, and the Banford-Kowal-Bench (BKB) sentence test.

RESULTS

One-way analyses of variance revealed significant improvement in open-set speech recognition in children able to perform measurement tasks.

CONCLUSIONS

The Nucleus CI24M cochlear implant provides significant benefit to children after short-term use.