Pediatric cochlear implants

Indications for cochlear implants have been widened since 1995. Most implant candidates are children with severe congenital deafness. The cochlear implant must be inserted as early as possible for these children in order to optimize development of perception and language. A cochlear implant can also be discussed in certain particular cases for children with associated diseases, malformation of the inner ear, or severe deafness. The educational project must be realistic and take into account the future difficulties as well as an established set of criteria for successful language acquisition.