Outcomes in Pediatric Auditory Brainstem Implantation: Revisiting Performance Over Time

Background: Auditory brainstem implants (ABI) continue to serve an important role in the treatment of deafness for patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). ABI is also demonstrating promising results for patients without NF2 yet still suffering from pathology that prevents reliable signal transmission from the cochlear nerve. As a technology still in its infancy, outcomes have shown wide variability between centers as candidacy criteria, device design, operative technique, and postoperative programming and rehabilitation strategies evolve. We sought to characterize the evolution of ABI performance at our center, and determine key factors influencing satisfactory postoperative outcomes over time.