Auditory brainstem implant in postmeningitis totally ossified cochleae.

INTRODUCTION

An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is an option for auditory rehabilitation in patients with totally ossified cochleae who cannot receive a conventional cochlear implant.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the outcomes in audiometry and speech perception tests after the implantation of an ABI via the extended retrolabyrinthine approach in patients with postmeningitis hearing loss.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ten patients, including children and adults, with postmeningitis hearing loss and bilateral totally ossified cochleae received an ABI in a tertiary center from 2009 to 2015. The extended retrolabyrinthine approach was performed in all the patients by the same surgeons. A statistical analysis compared pure tonal averages and speech perception tests before and at least 12 months after the ABI activation.

RESULTS

Eight patients (80%) showed improvements in tonal audiometry and the word and vowel perception tests after an average follow-up of 3.3 years. Two patients recognized up to 40% of the closed-set sentences without lip-reading. Two patients had no auditory response.

CONCLUSIONS

The ABI improved hearing performance in audiometry and speech perception tests in cases of postmeningitis hearing loss. The extended retrolabyrinthine approach is a safe surgical option for patients with postmeningitis hearing loss and bilateral totally ossified cochleae.