gms | German Medical Science

79th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

30.04. - 04.05.2008, Bonn

Results of the Elderly Patient´s Rehabilitation by Cochlear Implant

Meeting Abstract

  • author Peter Rolf Issing - ENT-Department, Bad Hersfeld, Germany
  • corresponding author Martin Spreng - ENT-Department, Bad Hersfeld, Germany
  • Torsten Köhler - ENT-Department, Bad Hersfeld, Germany
  • Joachim J. Hammersen - ENT-Department, Bad Hersfeld, Germany

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 79th Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Bonn, 30.04.-04.05.2008. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2008. Doc08hno13

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/hno2008/08hno13.shtml

Published: July 8, 2008

© 2008 Issing et al.
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Outline

Text

In case of bilateral deafness the cochlear implant has been shown to be an effective tool for audiological rehabilition in children as well as in adults. The procedure requires not only an acceptable status of health from the surgical and anaesthesiological point of view, but the intellectual capability of the patient is essential for the postoperative training period, too. These issues might be questionable especially in the elderly, multimorbid patient with potential age related mental deficits.

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the audiolgical results, the surgical and anaesthesiological management of a group of 24 patients older than 65 years compared to the younger adults, who were implanted at our department (n=24). The etiology of the postlingual deafness was different: sudden hearing loss (8), meningitis (7), hereditary hearing loss (7), large vestibular aequaeduct (2), Usher´s syndrome (1) and unknown reasons (23). Postoperatively there were no major adverse events, although unfavourable intraoperative conditions such as coincident chronic otitis media required sophisticated and prolonged surgeries (subtotal petrosectomy and obliteration of the middle ear cleft).

Most of the patients estimated an improvement of quality of life due to the better communicative abilities. In comparison to the younger patients the audiological results were equal, what we think is the consequence of a thorough patient selection. As a conclusion cochlear implantation is possible in the elderly patient with convincing results, too.