Reimplantation with a conventional length electrode following residual hearing loss in four hybrid implant recipients

Abstract

Hypothesis

Revision surgery using a newer-generation conventional length cochlear implant electrode will provide improved speech perception in patients that initially underwent hybrid electrode implantation and experienced post-operative loss of residual hearing and performance deterioration.

Clinical presentation

We present four patients who experienced delayed post-operative hearing loss following implantation with the Nucleus Hybrid S8 device and underwent reimplantation with the Nucleus Freedom or Nucleus 5 device using the Contour Advance array. Pure-tone thresholds and speech perception data were retrospectively reviewed.

Intervention

Four subjects underwent reimplantation with the Nucleus Freedom or Nucleus 5 device after experiencing deteriorating performance related to delayed acoustic hearing loss. Comparison of pre-revision performance to the most recent post-revision performance demonstrated improved speech perception performance in all subjects following reimplantation.

Conclusions

A small percent of patients will experience a significant loss of residual low-frequency hearing following hybrid implantation thereby becoming completely reliant on a shorter electrode for electrical stimulation. In the current series, reimplantation with a conventional length electrode provided improved speech perception performance in such patients. Revision surgery with a conventional length electrode should be considered in ‘short electrode’ recipients who experience performance deterioration following loss of residual hearing.

Keywords:

• Cochlear implant
• Electroacoustic hearing