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Fourth International Symposium and Workshops: Objective Measures in Cochlear Implants

Medical University of Hannover

01.06. bis 04.06.2005, Hannover

Otolithic function after cochlear implant surgery

Meeting Abstract

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  • corresponding author D. Basta - Department of ENT at ukb, Berlin, Germany
  • I. Todt - Department of ENT at ukb, Berlin, Germany
  • A. Ernst - Department of ENT at ukb, Berlin, Germany

Medical University of Hannover, Department of Otolaryngology. Fourth International Symposium and Workshops: Objective Measures in Cochlear Implants. Hannover, 01.-04.06.2005. Düsseldorf, Köln: German Medical Science; 2005. Doc05omci075

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.egms.de/en/meetings/omci2005/05omci075.shtml

Published: May 31, 2005

© 2005 Basta et al.
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Outline

Text

Introduction

The otolithic organs are neuroanatomically in close proximity to the cochlear implant electrode. They could be possibly influenced by the electrode insertion. I was therefore the aim of the present paper to investigate saccular and utricular function pre- and postoperatively in cochlear implanees.

Materials and Methods

Air- and bone conducted vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP´s) were recorded bilaterally and the subjective haptic vertical measured in 24 patients (16 female, 8 male) 2 days before and 6 weeks after cochlear implantation. The results were classified as pathological or normal by using normative data.

Results

Saccular function investigated by the presence of VEMP`s were estimated as normal in 66 % of the patients preoperatively and in 25 % after cochlea implant surgery. Preoperatively most VEMP´s could already be elicited by air conduction, but bone conducted stimuli were required in all patients postoperatively. Only 2 patients showed pathological results in the subjective haptic vertical recording (utricular function) after implant surgery.

Conclusions

The present data suggest that saccular impairment is correlated to a large extent with cochlea implant surgery. Our results indicate that the neuromonitoring technique in cochlear implant surgery should be modified.