Cochlear Implants in Children Are Cost-Effective

Approximately 0.3 percent of children younger than 5 years have profound deafness, and many are not helped by conventional hearing aids. Cochlear implants may be . . .

Approximately 0.3 percent of children younger than 5 years have profound deafness, and many are not helped by conventional hearing aids. Cochlear implants may be an option for these children, but, because there are no good cost-effectiveness data, many third-party payers in the U.S. will not cover such implants. This study was undertaken to determine the cost-utility of cochlear implants and to look at the effect of implants on quality of life in children.

Seventy-eight profoundly deaf children (mean age, 7.5 years) who received cochlear implants at 1 academic medical center were analyzed; 3 instruments were used: the time-trade-off (TTO), visual analog scale (VAS), and Health Utilities Index -- Mark III (HUI). The average time since implant…

Reviewing Author

RA Dershewitz