441 Lateralization of Interimplant Timing and Level Differences in Children Who Use Bilateral Cochlear Implants

Interaural level and timing cues are necessary to locate sound in space. We investigated whether children using bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) could interpret these cues. Children using bilateral CIs detected interimplant level cues but abnormalities included the following: 1) no significant changes in responses with changes in interimplant timing cues, 2) a predominance of responses towards the side of the second CI, 3) minimal “middle” responses, and 4) perception of sound from both sides simultaneously. We suggest that children receiving bilateral cochlear implants sequentially do not process bilateral auditory cues normally but can use interimplant level cues to make judgments about where sound is coming from.