Present Otologic Status of Subjects Implanted with Auditory Prostheses

Abstract

Thirteen persons who had functioning cochlear prostheses underwent medical evaluation. The nine males and four females ranged in age from 26 to 67 years at the time of the evaluation. Their mean age was 48.1 years. The etiology of deafness had been determined prior to implant surgical procedures in 6 of the 13 subjects. Of the remaining seven subjects, four had acquired hearing losses of unknown causes and three had congenital hearing deficits of unknown cause. All subjects participating in the study gave histories or findings compatible with severe loss or absence of vestibular function. All subjects had well-healed postauricular scars. The implant hardware was physically well-tolerated by the subjects and did not disrupt middle ear function. The implanted subcutaneous coil appeared to be well-tolerated and firmly anchored to the skull in every patient. There was no evidence of irritation to the skin or surrounding tissue. The skin surrounding a percutaneous plus which had been in place for six years in one subject showed no evidence of rejection. However, one subject who had electrode leads implanted beneath external auditory canal skin exhibited chronic external otitis. With this exception, the implant devices were clinically well-tolerated.