Rationale for Bilateral Cochlear Implantation in Children and Adults

抄録

Provision of binaural hearing should be considered the standard of care for hearing impaired patients whenever it can be provided without significant risks. In the case of patients with severe to profound hearing loss effective binaural hearing may require bilateral cochlear implantation. The combined experience of many centers around the world has provided substantial insight into the benefits of bilateral cochlear implantation. At the Dallas Otolaryngology Cochlear Implant Program, over 40 children and 40 adults have been implanted bilaterally. Although there are some benefits that require further detailed study to quantify, there are many benefits that have become both objectively and subjectively apparent. Our experience, combined with published results of other centers, has allowed us to define guidelines for which the benefits of bilateral cochlear implantation significantly outweigh the risks. For these patients, bilateral implantation should be considered the standard of care, even as we continue to define the increasing benefits and expand the criteria to more patients over the long term.
This article will review the data available in the scientific literature as well as presentations at respected scientific meetings and will discuss our center's experience and rationale for providing binaural hearing to cochlear implant recipients of all age groups.