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ESPCI attracts around 1,600 hearing experts from around the world to Hannover – Consensus group working on European guidelines for cochlear implants in children

Around 1,600 hearing experts from around the world met in Hannover for four days in June to exchange the latest research findings on the care and hearing rehabilitation of children with cochlear implants (CI): The ENT Clinic of the Hannover Medical School, headed by Clinic Director Prof. Thomas Lenarz, hosted the 17th European Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implantation (ESPCI 2025). This is the second time in its history that this renowned congress has been held at the MHH.

A key outcome of this year’s symposium is the presentation of a consensus paper on European guidelines for cochlear implantation in children. The core team, comprising almost 30 experts from various professional groups across Europe, was formed after the last ESPCI 2023 in Rotterdam and has now presented a first draft. The group will continue to work intensively on guidelines which will be published for reference.

With seven parallel sessions, around 500 presentations, more than 170 round tables and almost 50 special formats, such as live broadcasts of CI operations from the MHH operating theatre and the Ernst Lehnhardt Memorial Session, which was attended by the pioneers of cochlear implantation in Europe, the conference once again proved that it is one of the most important events worldwide in this field. This is due, on the one hand, to the focus on paediatric CI provision, which is particularly complex due to language acquisition, neuroplasticity and the necessary interdisciplinary rehabilitation. Specialisation is therefore highly relevant. On the other hand, leading international centres such as University College London and the universities of Stanford, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Madrid and Verona are always represented alongside the MHH. Global market leaders Cochlear, MED-EL and Advanced Bionics also use the ESPCI to present innovations, both in the form of scientific symposia and at the extensive industry exhibition. The Chinese CI manufacturer Nurotron, which is currently applying for approval in Europe, was there for the first time.

Since the first ESPCI in 1992, this biennial congress has had a major impact on clinical practice: many new standards in diagnostics, indication, bimodal care and rehabilitation strategies for children have been and continue to be presented and discussed here. Findings from the congress are regularly incorporated into European and WHO-related care models. Unlike purely medical conferences, the ESPCI brings together all the disciplines involved: ENT doctors and surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists, educators and engineers, but also manufacturers, self-help groups and patients, as well as researchers, not least from the Hearing4ll cluster of excellence – which is why it is particularly valuable for the reality of care. Last but not least, presentations given during an ESPCI are subsequently published in international journals such as the International Journal of Paediatric Otorhinolaryngology and Ear & Hearing.

“The ESPCI is a global flagship symposium and, as the most renowned European symposium on cochlear implantation in children, plays a key role worldwide. This is particularly evident in the high number of high-calibre speakers from outside Europe who apply to give a presentation,” reports Prof. Lenarz. It is comparable to American or Asia-Pacific congresses, but with a special focus on early detection, child language development and interdisciplinary care. ‘Anyone involved in CI care for children in the international community cannot ignore the ESPCI,’ sums up CI specialist Lenarz, who has established the world’s largest centre for cochlear implants and implantable hearing systems in Hanover, which now has almost 13,000 patients. The international success story of cochlear implantation began with the pioneering work of Prof. Ernst Lehnhardt at the MHH in 1984. The then director of the ENT clinic also implanted the first child in Europe, Tobias Fischer, in Hanover in 1988. Fischer was also a speaker at ESPCI and is president of the European self-help association Euro-CIU.

ESPCI 2025 in Hanover was a resounding success: it offered a highly topical, clinically sound programme, brought together leading minds from research, clinics and industry, and provided excellent opportunities for further training and international networking. The fact that Hanover itself has been a leader in cochlear implantation for decades lent additional weight to the event – ESPCI 2025 thus set new international standards in the field of paediatric CI care.