Cerebrospinal fluid gusher in cochlear implant and its associated factors.

Introduction

Cochlear implants (CI) is considered a safe procedure with overall complication rate of 12.5% amongst adult and pediatric population. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) gusher is regarded as a common CI intraoperative complication.

Objective

In this study, we determined the association between probable associated factors and occurrence of intraoperative CSF gusher.Method: In a retrospective survey, 394 patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss who underwent primary cochlear implantation surgery were evaluated. Patients with incomplete electronic or manual file and those with revision, explantation or reimplantation surgery were excluded.Result: three hundred and ninety-four CI patients with a mean age of 8.74 ± 12.21 years were reviewed 49.62% of them were female. CSF gusher developed in 22 patients (5.58%). Patients with CSF gusher had more structural abnormalities in their CT scans' report. Common cavity malformation and Mondini dysplasia were the most common abnormal reports amongst those with intra-operative CSF gusher.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cochlea structural abnormalities affect the incidence of CSF gusher in CI recipients. Common cavity malformation and Mondini dysplasia were associated with an increased incidence of CSF gusher. We insist on more precise pre-operative imaging of those with abnormal cochlea structures to provide the needed management.