Reimplantation for CI-Performers with single-sided deafness: A case study

Introduction:

Although cochlear implants have high safety requirements, complications cannot be ruled out one hundred percent and require reimplantation. The following study shows the performance of a Patient with unilaterally deafness before and after reimplantation.

Patient data and methods: The patient is postlingually and progressive deafened. At the age of 41 years he was provided with a cochlear implant. Contralateral he is normal hearing. The reimplantation took place due to an electrode dislocation. For evaluation of test results the Freiburg Number and Monosyllabic Word Test and the HSM-Sentence Test in quiet and in noise are carried out in a direct coupling.

Results:

In the Freiburg Number Test and in the HSM-Sentence Test in quiet, the previous results are achieved immediately after reimplantation. The results of the HSM-Sentence Test in noise even rise from 30% to 57%. In the Monosyllabic Word Test the result decreases after the reimplantation from 70% to 30%. The previous result is reached after 1 year.

Conclusion:

A reimplantation does not have to mean the loss of already achieved listening results. Often the hearing status can be recovered immediately or slightly later or it can be even improved. In order to early identification and correction of possible complications, follow-up examinations in patients with unilaterally deafness require a particularly high level of attention from the attending engineers, doctors and pedagogues. It is possible that the normal hearing ear compensates a defect at first which thus remain unrecognized for a time.

Publication History

Publication Date:
18 April 2018 (online)