Unsuccessful cochlear implantation in two patients with superficial siderosis of the central nervous system.

OBJECTIVE

To highlight the potential adverse outcomes with cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with superficial siderosis.

PATIENTS: Two patients with superficial siderosis of the central nervous system with secondary sensorineural hearing loss.

INTERVENTION: Cochlear implantation.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Postimplantation speech discrimination scores.

RESULTS

In both cases, initial results after implantation were promising. However, in 1 case, their ability to use the CI rapidly declined after 1 week because of major difficulties adapting to electrical stimulation. For the other case, hearing rapidly declined over a 6-month period.

CONCLUSION

The 2 patients reported did not benefit from CI in superficial siderosis that is in contrast to several previously published cases. Adequate counseling of patients with superficial siderosis is important when considering cochlear implantation as results are variable.