Cochlear implant in children. General principles. Results of the Lyons team

: Cochlear implant is a transductor system used to transform acoustic vibrations into an electric current which stimulates the vestibulocochlear nerve. It may be either extracochlear, the nerve being stimulated through an electrode placed near the cochlea, or intracochlear, the electrode being inserted within the cochlea. Cochlear implantation in children is nowadays a safe and performing method to complete total deafness of sensorineural origin. However it must be only applied to total deafness which fail to show an improvement with conventional acoustic prostheses. In addition, partly for anatomical reasons, partly because of the time required to be sure of the indication, cochlear implantation can only be performed between 18 and 24 months of age.