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Case Report
Outcomes of a late sequential cochlear implantation: A case report
1 Audiologist and Phoniatrist, Medical Director, San Luca Medicina & Riabilitazione, Battipaglia, Italy
2 Audiologist and Phoniatrist, Medical Director, San Pio Medical Center, Battipaglia, Italy
3 Speech Therapist, San Luca Medicina & Riabilitazione, Battipaglia, Italy
4 Psychologist-Psychotherapist, San Luca Medicina & Riabilitazione, Battipaglia, Italy
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Rossana Santimone
Via Don Michele Paesano, 65 Eboli, SA,
Italy
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Article ID: 100017Z18RS2025
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Santimone R, Votta M, Vecchione N, Adesso A. Outcomes of a late sequential cochlear implantation: A case report. J Case Rep Images Otolaryngol 2025;4(2):9–12.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sequential cochlear implantation is a rehabilitative strategy for patients with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss who receive the second implant years after the first. When sequential cochlear implantation is performed after a long interval, there are many uncertainties about the outcomes achieved with the second device.
Case Report: This study presents the case of a 24-year-old patient, implanted on the right ear in 2007 and on the left ear in 2023. The objective was to assess the speech therapy outcomes obtained with the second implant and compare them with those of the first. After the left implant was activated, the patient underwent a speech therapy program designed to achieve balanced bilateral auditory input. Postoperative evaluations revealed rapid adaptation to the new auditory stimulus, with steady progress in sound discrimination and verbal comprehension. After 12 months, performance with the second implant was comparable to that of the first, both in word recognition tests and in speech perception in complex acoustic contexts.
Conclusion: These results suggest that despite the long interval between the two implants, the brain retains significant auditory plasticity. This plasticity may involve cortical reorganization or strengthened commissural pathways, allowing effective acquisition with the first implant to have facilitated the integration of the second one, thereby optimizing the rehabilitative process. This case confirms the effectiveness of sequential cochlear implantation even when the second implant is performed in adulthood, supporting the hypothesis that binaural stimulation promotes better speech perception and higher quality of life.
Keywords: Auditory plasticity, Cochlear implant, Sequential implantation, Speech therapy
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Acknowledgments
Artificial intelligence (AI) use in the article: ChatGPT (GPT-4, Open AI, 2025) was used to assist in drafting and translating parts of the manuscript. All content was reviewed and approved by the author.
Author ContributionsRossana Santimone - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
M Votta - Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
N Vecchione - Acquisition of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
A Adesso - Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guarantor of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2025 Rossana Santimone et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
