Özet:

Objectives: The effect of cochlear implantation on voice development in prelingually deaf children was investigated. Patients and Methods: The study included 60 prelingually deaf children (28 girls, 32 boys; mean age 68 months; range 37 to 128 months) who underwent cochlear implantation. Voice analyses were made between 6 to 21 months after the first fitting and six months after the baseline. The patients were divided into two groups (i) according to age (younger or older than 48 months) and (ii) to the duration of implant use (more or less than 18 months) to observe the changes in fundamental frequency (F0), and two formant frequencies (F1 and F2). Forty-seven children (22 girls, 25 boys; mean age 62 months; range 38 to 118 months) with normal speech and language development comprised the control group. In all the cases, F0, F1, and F2 values of the vowel /a/ were studied. Results: In the patient group, F0 and F2 values significantly differed between the first and second voice analyses, whereas the change in F1 values was insignificant. No significant differences were found in terms of F0, F1 and F2 values between the patients younger than 48 months and age-matched controls; however, F0 and F1 values significantly differed in those older than 48 months while F2 values remained insignificant. Albeit statistically insignificant, F0, F1, and F2 values approximated normal levels in children in whom the duration of implant use exceeded 18 months. Conclusion: Our study confirms that early cochlear implantation and longer implant use result in improved development of voice, speech, and language.

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