The Advances in Hearing Rehabilitation and Cochlear Implants in China.
Jia-Nan Li, Si Chen, Lei Zhai and 5 others
PMID 28471842WHAT IT FOUND
China's hearing rehabilitation and cochlear implant programs have expanded, but newborn screening reaches only 2 to 5% of all newborn infants and 20% of NICU patients.
Mandarin tone perception remains a challenge for implant users.
Key findings
01Newborn hearing screening in China reaches only 2 to 5% of all newborn infants and 20% of NICU patients.
02A domestic 26-electrode cochlear implant has been used in more than 2,900 recipients, and a cited study found speech perception scores did not differ significantly compared with Cochlear Nucleus implants.
03Mandarin tone perception is a specific challenge for Chinese cochlear implant users, and tone and music pitch perception are poor compared with people with normal hearing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The article is a narrative review, not an original study, so it cannot establish whether a program or implant caused better outcomes. Much of the information is drawn from national reports and cited studies, not from a single set of original methods or results. Adult cochlear implant outcome studies in the review report conflicting findings about whether age at implantation predicts outcomes. Newborn hearing screening coverage is described as low, and the review states that true prevalence may be underestimated because screening is limited. Chinese tone perception after cochlear implantation is described as an unresolved area.
Declared interests
The supplied text states that Adrien A. Eshraghi is a consultant for Med-EL. It does not state who funded the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower-cost domestic implant and national program growth as proof that access is adequate or that tone perception problems are solved. Newborn screening still reaches only 2 to 5% of all newborn infants and 20% of NICU patients. Tone perception remains difficult, and the review says strategies to improve it remain an area for further research.