Speech Perception of Second Cochlear Implant after 6 Years of Age in Prelingually Deaf Children.

Sequential bilateral cochlear implantation in children becomes less effective as the inter-implant interval increases. However, the cause of this and the age at which speech perception becomes impossible are unclear. We examined the cases of 11 prelingually deaf children who underwent unilateral cochlear implantation at our hospitals before the age of 5 years old, followed by a second implantation procedure on the contralateral side when they were aged ≥ 6 years old (6-12 years old).