Delayed facial nerve palsy after surgery for the Esteem(®) fully implantable middle ear hearing device.

CONCLUSION

Delayed facial nerve (FN) impairment was shown to occur after Esteem(®) surgery, and taste disturbances were found in a limited number of subjects. Thus, when this type of active middle ear implant (AMEI) is to be implanted, these specific complications need to be shared with the candidate.

OBJECTIVES

To report on FN involvement in Esteem(®) AMEI surgery.

METHODS

A total of 23 males and 11 females, who presented with sensorineural hearing loss of varying severity, underwent surgical implantation of the Esteem(®) AMEI. FN function was assessed according to the House-Brackmann (HB) grading system. A specific question regarding taste impairment was administered to each patient on the first day and 3 months after surgery.

RESULTS

None of the patients presented with a FN deficit in the first postoperative days. In three patients (8.8%), FN palsy developed after 7 days (two patients) and 10 days (one patient), and the severities were HB 4 (two cases) and HB 5 (one case). All patients fully recovered (HB 1) after 6-8 weeks. In 10 of the 34 implanted subjects (29.4%), taste disturbances were found on postoperative day 1, and these impairments remained in only 6 (17.6%) patients at the 3-month postoperative follow-up.