Efficacy of cochlear implantation in patients with abnormal inner ear structures

XU Liang; LIU Min; TANG Fengzhu; SHI Min; QU Shenghong; LIANG Jianping; LU Qiutian

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-2922.2017.01.010

Abstract：Objective To study the safety of cochlear implantation in patients with abnormal ear structure and the outcome postoperatively. Methods The clinical data of 17 patients with abnormal ear structure underwent cochlear im-plantation between July 2011 and June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed, which include 14 cases with pre-lingual deafness and 3 cases with post-lingual deafness. Different surgical procedures were used based on the abnormalities of the inner ear. The postoperative evaluation was performed using the auditory classification criteria (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR). Twenty-four patients with pre-lingual deafness and normal inner ear anatomy were enrolled in this study as control. The complications and postoperative auditory performance were analyzed and compared be-tween the two groups. Results Cochlear implantations were successfully performed in all 17 cases with abnormal ear anatomy. One of the case experienced vertigo postoperatively, however, no other complications including cerebrospinal fluid leakage or facial paralysis occurred. The postoperative CAP and SIR scores were 5.8±1.4 and 3.5±1.1 respectively in patients with abnormal ear anatomy and pre-lingual deafness. In the control group, the CAP and SIR scores were 6.9 ± 1.3 and 3.8 ± 0.9 respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Abnormal inner ear anatomy is not an absolute contraindication for cochlear implantation. Selection of a proper surgi-cal procedure according to the type of abnormal inner ear structure could reduce the incidence of complications. There were no significant differences in hearing or speech rehabilitation outcomes between the control and the group with ab-normal inner ear structures.