A Case Report of Rapid Recovery in Speech Perception after Cochlear Implantation in a Female Child with Post- Meningitis Deafness

Rasool  Panahi; Shadman  Nemati; Mir Mohammad  Jalali

doi:10.18502/avr.v35i1.20583

Rasool Panahi Otorhinolaryngology Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Shadman Nemati Otorhinolaryngology Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Mir Mohammad Jalali Otorhinolaryngology Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/avr.v35i1.20583

Keywords: Cochlear implant; post-lingual deafness; children; meningitis; case report

Abstract

Background and Aim: It takes some time for a patient to adapt to a Cochlear Implant (CI). Usually, the improved speech perception after cochlear implantation is reported within 3–6 months. In this study, we reported a case of a female child with post-meningitis deafness who showed considerable recovery in speech perception just a few days after cochlear implantation.

The Case: The case was a 14-year-old female with complaints of severe headache, delirium, unresponsiveness to sound, and agitation, diagnosed later with meningitis. Pure tone audiometry showed total deafness in her right ear and severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in her left ear. Seven months after deafness, she received a CI (Nucleus CI512) in the right ear. Its speech processor was activated two weeks after surgery. The first map was programmed using the advanced combination encoder strategy, along with behavioral measurements of T-levels and C-levels. Four days later, the audiometric test revealed a Pure-Tone Average (PTAve) of 35 dB HL, accompanied by a Speech Discrimination Score (SDS) of 72%. The Bamford-Kowal-Bench (BKB) sentence test yielded a score of 80% in silence. Two weeks after device activation, PTAve was 20 dB HL, the SDS was 86% and the BKB sentence test score in silence was 100%.

Conclusion: It seems that factors such as short duration of deafness, precise mapping of the CI speech processor, consistent device usage, and rich aural environment can lead to significant improvement in speech perception within two weeks after cochlear implantation in patients with post-lingual deafness.