Cochlear implantation in infants younger than 12 months

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration has lowered the approved age for cochlear implantation to 12 months. However, data from implant manufacturers reveals that children even younger than 12 months of age have been implanted within the past few years, including 137 infants in the United States and over 500 infants worldwide. Implantation of infants has raised significant concerns about pre-implant hearing assessment, surgical risks, and post-implant programming. Although caution is warranted when implanting very young children, the benefits of early implantation in carefully selected infants may mitigate the concerns.