Articolo: Perchè L'Impianto Cocleare Bilaterale?

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The ASHA Leader, a publication of the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association - February 16, 2010
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Bilateral Cochlear Implants


Are Two Ears Better Than One?


cite as: Litovsky, R. (2010, February 16). Bilateral Cochlear Implants : Are
Two Ears Better Than One?. The ASHA Leader.

by Ruth Litovsky

"Listen carefully and tell me where the sound is coming from," I explained
to "Emma," a 12-year-old, bilateral cochlear implant user whose second CI
had recently been activated. "What do you mean by 'where'?" Emma asked.
"When I hear sounds, they are in my head or very near my ear."


The experience of Emma (not her real name) is typical of tens of thousands
of unilateral cochlear implant (CI) users, who generally do not experience
spatial hearing. For these individuals, the spatial auditory world often
collapses into the head rather than being perceived at external locations.
Unilateral CIs provide children the opportunity to attain spoken language,
and offer adults renewed access to a hearing world. However, the lack of
input to both ears can be a challenge.

In the spring of 2002, Emma embarked on a journey experienced by few
children at that time when she became one of the first children in the
United States to receive a second CI. When pediatric bilateral CIs were
first provided, the candidates typically were children between 5 and 12
years of age who already had attained notable success with their first CI.

By participating in research at the Binaural Hearing and Speech Lab in
Madison, Wis., Emma and her cohort of pioneer pediatric bilateral CI users
contributed to a growing body of knowledge about the emergence of spatial
hearing skills in this population. Prior research had focused on
communication milestones and the importance of the age of implantation (for
the first- and typically only-implanted ear); this new line of research was
aimed at determining whether bilateral implantation would provide
measurable, significant benefits on tasks required for functioning in
complex multi-source auditory environments.
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