The Cochlear Implant Program is actively engaged in research to enhance patient care and improve outcomes.

Research Projects

• ChIP score validation: Developed and validated an evaluation tool for pediatric cochlear implant candidates that has been used by CCS (California Children’s Services) as the standard of care for all CCS-paneled centers. Learn more.
• Bilingual patients and cochlear implantation: Compared outcomes of patients following cochlear implantation who are exposed to one language (English) versus two (English and Spanish). No difference was found, but the more patients were exposed to any language in the home, the better their outcomes.
• Pre-cochlear implant imaging in academic settings: Study conducted in cooperation with the Necker Enfants Malades Hospital (Paris, France) to assess the importance of CT and MRI in assessing the temporal bone anatomy prior to cochlear implantation. It showed that both modalities are complementary and essential in examining the ear and brain anatomy prior to the surgery.
• Randomized Controlled Trial of Valganciclovir for Asymptomatic Cytomegalovirus Infected Hearing Impaired Infants (ValEAR Trial): Participating in National Institutes of Health-funded multicenter study to assess the effects of valganciclovir on the hearing and language outcomes of patients with hearing loss and congenital CMV.
• Impact of deafness and language experience on visual development: Participating in National Institutes of Health-funded study conducted by Rain Bosworth, Ph.D., and Sarah Tyler Ph.D., at UC San Diego to evaluate the visual development of deaf babies before and after cochlear implantation. http://babylab.ucsd.edu/research-projects/deaf-studies
• Evaluation of post-operative admission trends in pediatric cochlear implant patients (Pediatric Health Information System study)

Future studies include the use of cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) in cochlear implant candidacy assessment and vestibular testing in patients with cochlear implants.