Listopadzki Paweł, Lewandowski Artur, Haber Karolina, Drela Maria,  Mierzwiński Józef 
 
Department of Otolaryngology Audiology and Phoniatrics , 
Pediatric cochlear implant program. 
Children's Hospital of Bydgoszcz , Poland
 
Vestibular evaluation and a role of vestibular system in pediatric candidates for sequential cochlear implantation. 
 
 Objectives: Since bilateral vestibular areflexia due to bilateral cochlear implantation  in young infants can lead to severe psychomotor  impairments the aim of the study was to measure a function of the vestibular system of pediatric CI candidates before second implantation.  
 
 Methods: Children with bilateral profound hearing loss after unilateral  cochlear implantation were included in the study. The test used for evaluation of the children were cVEMP, sinusoidal harmonic acceleration test of rotatory chair, video Head Impulse Test (vHIT), caloric test.
 
Results: Reliable vestibular diagnosis is not possible in all the children this is related to age and cooperation. The results showed that cochlear implantation may have deleterious effect on vestibular system, since vestibular function in unilaterally implanted children was  generally worse at implanted site showing vestibular lesion  in majority of patients. 
The vestibular lesion is common in pediatric cochlear implant population but the results of cVEMP , vHIT  and caloric test are not always parallel.   
 
Conclusion: Cochlear implant may have negative impact on the vestibular system. To avoid bilateral vestibular lesion sequential implantation should be the rule with obligatory check of vestibular system before second implantation. Due to difficulties in vestibular testing cross check rule should also be recommended in this group of patients especially when the results are confusing and not clear in all the tests described.

Vestibular evaluation of pediatric candidates for sequential cochlear implantation.

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm, that on behalf of the Cochlear Implant centers of the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen and Erasmus MC Sophia Children’s Hospital in Rotterdam to invite you to attend the 16th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation to Rotterdam, the Netherlands in 2023.

Yours sincerely, on behalf of the CI Centers at Radboud UMC and Erasmus MC,