(098) Cochlear Implantation in Patients with Advanced Otosclerosis

Introduction: Severe forms of otosclerosis can lead to profound hearing loss, in which stapedotomy will not be effective. Cochlear implantation should be considered in these cases. In far-advanced otosclerosis it could be a challenge because of the alteration of anatomy of cochlea. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of cochlear implantation in patients with far-advanced otosclerosis one year after surgery.

Methods: The study group was 17 patients (15 women, 2 men) with far-advanced otosclerosis who had cochlear implantation. Their mean age was 52 years, mean duration of deafness was 23 years. All of them had undergone at least one operation on the implanted ear. All patients had computed tomography before surgery. Pure tone audiometry and speech audiometry were performed before and after surgery.

Results: Pre-operative hearing threshold for air conduction (0.5, 1, 2, 4 kHz) was on average 109.6 dB HL (SD=12.3), for bone conduction it was 71.4 dB HL (SD=4.4). Tinnitus was perceived by 76.5% of the patients before surgery. Post-operative speech recognition score was on average 66.2% in quiet and 42.3% in noise. Facial nerve stimulation was present in one patient.

Conclusions: Cochlear implantation in far-advanced otosclerosis may be effective method of treatment. Satisfactory auditory outcomes and low rate of surgical complications support the use of cochlear implantation for those patients.