Cochlear implantation is a popular procedure to restore hearing in patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Despite the widespread acceptance of the intervention, many variables exist in the evaluation for and implementation of this technology throughout the world. The primary aim of this investigation is to analyze treatment disparities between Germany and the United States in cochlear implantation.

Cochlear implant recipients in 2 representative cochlear implant centers in the United States and Germany were retrospectively analyzed. Differences in preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative treatment paradigms as well as the disparities in the follow-up were recorded. Objective measures included demographic data, length of hospitalization, minor and major complication rates, and speech scores within the first 3 years. Moreover, a cost analysis comparison between both centers was performed.