A study of unilateral cochlear implant in prelingual deaf children

Introduction:- Hearing impairment, is defined as a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing Loss is broadly divided into Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Conductive Hearing Loss. Spoken language development is often delayed in children with unaddressed hearing loss. A Cochlear implant (CI) is surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The process of cochlear implantation starts with early identification of hearing impairment by neonatologist-paediatrician. Subsequently the physicians, paediatrician, psychologist and radiologist evaluate the patient. Post implantation rigorous therapy is required to enable the child to join the mainstream. The whole process is a team effort and it requires constant motivation on the part of parents. Cochlear implant has to be individualized because every child is unique. Generally, at the functional level, children with inner ear damage are considered for cochlear implantation. The present study aims to assess the experience of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology of R.N.T. Medical College, Udaipur with patients who will undergo CI surgery. Materials and Methods: it is a prospective cohort study. The study population in our study were patients attending the Department of ENT in RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan during Two and half years from June 2016 to December 2018. A total of 10 cochlear Implants were done at our institute. Data was recorded on a Performa. The data analysis was computer based; SPSS-22 will be used for analysis. Data were shown as Mean±SD. For p-value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results:- cochlear implantation definitely provides a satisfactory hearing and speech ability to a hearing disabled child.