Auditory perception changes after reimplantation in a child cochlear implant user

The ability to remove cochlear implants from children andsubsequently reimplant a more complex device in thesame ear was the concern of this single case study. Apostlinguistically deafened child, J.L., received a singlechannelcochlear implant 1 yr after contracting meningitisand suffering a profound bilateral sensorineural hearingloss. After 3 yr of successful implant use, J.L. suffered aninternal coil tailure. She was then explanted and reimplantedwith a multichannel cochlear implant in the sameear. This case report details her speech perception skillswith her single-channel cochlear implant, a vibrotactileaid, and a multichannel cochlear implant. Results fromauditory perceptual measures suggest that the explantation/reimplantation process was technically feasible withno adverse effects on J.L.’s ability to utilize a more sophisticateddevice and to exceed her previous performance levels.