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Otology/Neurotology

(099) Cochlear Implantation Is Successful in Lightning Strike Related Hearing Loss

Monday, October 2, 2023
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Has Audio

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Kendall M. Burgett, MD

    Resident Physician
    University of Utah, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
    Millcreek, Utah, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Eric E. Babajanian, MD

    Neurotology Fellow
    Mayo Clinic
    Rochester, Minnesota, United States

  • Mana Espahbodi, MD

    Fellow
    University of Utah, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
    Salt Lake City, UT, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Richard K. Gurgel, MD MSCI

    Professor
    University of Utah
    Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

  • Ap

    Albert H. park, MD

    Chief Pediatric Otolaryngology
    University of Utah, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
    Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

  • NP

    Neil Patel, MD

    Resident Physician
    University of California, San Francisco
    San Francisco, CA, USA

Disclosure(s):
Kendall M. Burgett, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Eric E. Babajanian, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Mana Espahbodi, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Richard K. Gurgel, MD MSCI: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Albert H. park, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Hearing loss after lightning strike is a rare phenomenon, and when it does occur typically causes a conductive hearing loss due to tympanic membrane (TM) rupture or ossicular damage. We present a review of the literature and two cases of bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) after lightning strike who were successfully rehabilitated with cochlear implantation (CI) after failure of conservative treatment.

Methods: Patients were included from a single academic institution between 2017-2023 with bilateral profound SNHL due to lightning strike injury. Interventions included systemic/intratympanic steroids, hearing aids, and CI. Pre- and post-CI audiologic outcomes are included.

Results: Patient A sustained bilateral profound SNHL after lightning strike at age 8. She received systemic followed by intratympanic steroids without a significant improvement in her hearing. Best aided PB-K word recognition score was 12% preoperatively. She underwent right CI two years after initial injury. Postoperative live CNC word recognition scores were 96% with right sided CI and 36% with left sided hearing aid. Patient B sustained near total right TM perforation and bilateral profound SNHL after lightning strike at age 35. She experienced some improvement of her left-sided hearing, however her right side remained in the profound hearing loss range. Her preoperative right sided AzBio score was 1%. She underwent right CI 3 months after initial injury. One month after CI, her right-sided AzBio score improved to 71% in the electric-only condition and 100% in the bimodal configuration with a contralateral hearing aid.

Conclusions: In spite of concerns regarding neural or central hearing loss that prevail in electrocution cases, CI provides excellent rehabilitation of hearing after lightning strike. Both patients in this series continue to enjoy durable hearing improvement that was not achieved with corticosteroids or amplification alone.