Objectives: International guidelines indicate that children with profound hearing loss should receive a cochlear implant (CI) soon after diagnosis in order to optimize speech and language rehabilitation. Although prompt rehabilitation is encouraged by current guidelines, delays in cochlear implantation are still present. This study investigated whether European countries establish timely pediatric CI care based on epidemiological, commercial, and clinical data.
Methods: An estimation of the number of pediatric CI candidates in European countries was performed and compared to epidemiological (Euro-CIU), commercial (Cochlear®), and clinical (institutional) age-at-implantation data. The ages at implantation of pediatric patients in eight countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Portugal, and Italy) between 2005 and 2015 were evaluated.
Results: From 2010 onwards, over 30% of the pediatric CI candidates were implanted before 24 months of age. Northern European institutions implanted children on average around 12 months of age, whereas southern European institutions implanted children after 18 months of age. The Netherlands and Germany implanted earliest (between 6 and 11 months).
Discussion: Implemented newborn hearing screening programs and reimbursement rates of CIs vary greatly within Europe due to local, social, financial, and political differences. However, internationally accepted recommendations are applicable to this heterogeneous European CI practice. Although consensus on early pediatric cochlear implantation exists, this study identified marked delays in European care.
Conclusion: Regardless of the great heterogeneity in European practice, reasons for latency should be identified on a national level and possibilities to prevent avoidable future implantation delays should be explored to provide national recommendations.
Keywords: Cochlea; Cochlear implants; Deafness; Early medical intervention; Hearing loss; Pediatrics; Sensorineural; Surgical procedures; operative.