Outcomes of cochlear reimplantation in adults.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the indications for, and auditory outcomes following, cochlear reimplantation in adults and investigate factors influencing outcome.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

SETTING

Cochlear implant program in a tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS: Thirty adults (32 ears) who have undergone cochlear reimplantation in the ipsilateral ear.

INTERVENTION(S): Explantation and reimplantation of cochlear implant.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Speech discrimination as measured using Bamford-Kowal Bench sentence testing in quiet (BKBq) and noisy (BKBn) environments.

RESULTS

Best BKBq improved from 58.5% to 71.4% (p = 0.0242), and BKBn improved from 60.9% to 67.2% (p = 0.826) after reimplantation. Device failure was the most common indication for reimplantation. There was no significant difference in failure rate or outcome between implant manufacturers. The mean time to reimplantation was 4.7 years, and this was not related to auditory outcome. Otosclerosis and Ménière's disease may predispose to a worse auditory outcome after reimplantation.

CONCLUSION

Cochlear reimplantation does not have a detrimental effect on auditory outcomes and in some cases results in improved speech perception.