Postural control and vestibular function in patients selected for cochlear implantation.

Postural control and vestibular and eye motor function were evaluated in 7 postlingually deaf patients before cochlear implantation as vibration toward the calf muscles or galvanic electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerves perturbed stance. The patients were compared with 21 control subjects. Vibration-induced bodysway was increased in the patients compared to the normals. Galvanic stimulation induced a bodysway that was not significantly different from that of the control group suggesting that the patients selected for cochlear implantation, and with otherwise reduced postural control, are sensitive to electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve. This finding may contribute with a complementary hypothesis to the causes of dizziness among cochlear implant patients.