Long-Term Preservation of High-Frequency Hearing After Cochlear Implantation in a Child with Substantial Residual Hearing: A Case Report

Background/Objectives: Cochlear implantation (CI) in children with substantial residual hearing remains challenging because of the risk of hearing loss. Partial deafness treatment and hearing preservation have traditionally focused on functionally useful low-frequency hearing, while residual hearing in the high-frequency range has not been specifically addressed in established classifications. Long-term data on preservation of substantial high-frequency residual hearing after CI in children remain limited. We present a pediatric case demonstrating 5-year preservation of high-frequency residual hearing after CI.

Methods

A 14-year-old girl with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss underwent left CI with a MED-EL FLEX 28 electrode inserted through the round window. Pure-tone thresholds were assessed preoperatively and at 1, 12, 24, and 60 months postoperatively. Hearing preservation was evaluated using the Skarzynski classification, and speech perception was assessed before implantation and at 24 months.