Two Cases of Cochlear Implantation in Patients With Unilateral Profound Hearing Loss Due to Intralabyrinthine Schwannoma

Abstract

When vestibular schwannoma originates from the segment within the labyrinth of the vestibulocochlear nerve, it is termed intralabyrinthine schwannoma (ILS). As most of the cases are presented with profound sensorineural hearing loss on the affected side, for auditory rehabilitation, cochlear implantation can be considered simultaneously as the tumor removal. Successful results of cochlear implantation were reported in patients with ILS even after partial resection of the mass. In this study, we report the cases of two patients with ILS with unilateral deafness. In one patient, a mass found in the basal turn of cochlea was removed totally and a cochlear implantation electrode was fully inserted. In the other patient, a mass found in the basal turn and vestibule was partially removed and an electrode was inserted. Postoperatively, hearing was improved and tinnitus was reduced.