Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Adolescents With Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder: Scoping Review and Case Report.

Objective: To assess outcomes of CI in adolescent patients with ANSD, a population which has not yet been comprehensively reviewed through a scoping review.

Methods: A scoping review in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane DSR, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, and Web of Science was performed. Cohort and case studies evaluating outcomes of CI in adolescents with ANSD were selected. A case report of an adolescent ANSD patient who underwent CI from our tertiary care academic hospital setting is also reported.

Results: Our search identified a total of 17 articles after screening 488 articles. Among the 24 patients isolated from the selected articles, the vast majority showed some level of improvement in their hearing ability (n = 21, 87.5%). Additionally, of the 20 individuals whose hearing outcomes had a comparison cohort of subjects under 10 years old, nearly half showed better or similar levels of hearing improvement (n = 9, 45%).

Conclusions: Adolescents with ANSD receiving CI have notable improvements in hearing outcomes, but to a lesser degree than younger cohorts with ANSD. As such, CI should be considered as a valid treatment option for adolescents with ANSD. However, the benefit of such intervention has a wide variability, presumably based on the different pathologies that can cause their hearing loss and not necessarily the age at implantation.