[Personal experience with a unicanal extracochlear implant in reference to rehabilitation in total bilateral deafness. Multicenter study. Preliminary report].

Our choice of a unicanal extracochlear implant is characterized by a reasonable attitude and simplicity. Simplicity and reason, because the already existing experiments show that in the field of cochlear implants there is no correlation a priori between the satisfaction of the research worker developing a complex electronic system in the laboratory and the satisfaction of the patient benefiting from such a system. Furthermore, the extracochlear implant respects and conserves the anatomical structure of the cochlea. It does not compromise future interventions. A replacement could be carried out in the future should a more perfected system be invented. The latter argument is particularly useful if a child is being considered for an implant. All patients with implants benefit from the following results: the satisfaction of hearing their own voice again, a better control of the voice (loudness and intensity), comprehension is facilitated (lip reading and noise perception), end of the sensation of isolation. The first results obtained are very encouraging. We find it most essential to continue our work in the same manner and with an inter-University working group (GRIC). The standardisation of results of the various teams involved seems to be imperative. We conclude by the following: At the present state of our knowledge, the unicanal extracochlear implant seems to be a reasonable solution and a realistic approach in the rehabilitation of total bilateral deafness.