Meningitis and facial paresis. Implications for cochlear implantation.
Most postlingually deafened individuals receive auditory sensations with a cochlear implant. We describe a postmeningitic patient with bilateral facial paresis who failed to be stimulated with a multichannel device. In light of the facial dysfunction, primary auditory nerve damage by meningitis is postulated as the cause of implant failure. Preoperation electrical stimulation of the cochlea using an alternating current signal is recommended as a means of assessing cochlear implant candidacy.
D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000628:therapy; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D008581:Meningitis / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000160:Vestibulocochlear Nerve Diseases / Q000209:etiology*