CI in single-sided deafness

Abstract

The cochlear implant (CI) as a treatment option for single-sided deafness (SSD) started with a clinical study looking in to the influence of cochlear implantation with a MED-EL device on incapacitating unilateral tinnitus in SSD. The study began in 2003 and was conducted by P. Van de Heyning and his team in Antwerp, Belgium. The first CI in SSD without tinnitus in Germany was implanted by J. Mueller and R. Jacob in Koblenz in 2005. Translational research activities took place since then to evaluate the CI as a treatment option for SSD not only in adults but also in children. They assessed the hearing performance of SSD patients implanted with CI, importance of long electrode arrays in SSD patients, degree of acceptance of CI by SSD children, importance of early CI implantation in SSD children in developing language skills, music enjoyment by hearing with two ears and evidence on spiral ganglion cell body distribution. In 2013, MED-EL was the first CI manufacturer to receive the CE mark for the indication of SSD and asymmetric hearing loss (AHL) in adults and children. In 2019, MED-EL was the first CI manufacturer to get its CI device approved for patients over the age of five with SSD and AHL, by the FDA in the USA. This article covers the milestones of translational research from the first concept to the widespread clinical use of CI in SSD.

Graphical Abstract

Chinese abstract

CI被用作单侧性耳聋（SSD）的治疗选择, 偶然产生于将CI用于抑制SSD受试者的耳鸣时。 最初由比利时Antwerp的Van de Heyning教授于2003年尝试植入MED-EL CI设备。此后进行了各种转化研究, 对CI作为SSD的治疗选择进行评估。 在2013年和2019年, MED-EL作为第一家CI制造商, 因其CI设备将被临床用作SSD的治疗选择, 分别获得了CE标志和FDA批准。 本章介绍了在MED-EL进行的所有转化研究活动, 这些活动评估了接受CI植入的SSD患者的听力表现、长电极阵列对SSD患者的重要性、SSD儿童对CI的接受程度、儿童植入CI对其发展语言技能的重要性、用两只耳朵聆听以获得对音乐的欣赏, 以及螺旋神经节细胞体分布的证据.

Keywords:

• Binaural hearing
• tinnitus
• sound localisation
• music enjoyment

Acknowledgments

The authors would gratefully like to acknowledge the key contributors to the development of the subject matter. Their contributions are outlined in this article. The authors further acknowledge Reinhold Schatzer from MED-EL for his valuable input and comments during several rounds of review meetings that contributed to the final version of this article.

Disclosure statement

This article is sponsored by MED-EL and has not undergone the regular peer-review process of Acta Oto-Laryngologica. Both the authors are affiliated with MED-EL.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.