Auditory brainstem implant in a child with severely ossified cochlea.
OBJECTIVE
The hearing outcome after implanting a severely ossified cochlea has always been less satisfactory than implanting a patent one. The aim of our study is to present a case where brainstem implantation was successfully performed as an alternative to cochlear implantation in a child with bilateral severe ossification of the cochlea.


METHODS
Case presentation. This study was conducted at Gruppo Otologico, Rome, Italy, a private referral center for neurotology and skull base surgery.


METHODS
The subject of our study was a 12-year-old female child with postmeningitic deafness and bilaterally ossified cochleae. This case is the first brainstem implantation performed at our center with the indication of severe ossification of the cochlea.


RESULTS
Successful brainstem implantation of a device was carried out, and the hearing of the patient was restored to the degree that she can freely use the telephone after 8 months of implantation.


CONCLUSIONS
Although more cases are needed before establishing the exact outcome of brainstem implantation in cases of deafness in the presence of severe bilateral cochlear ossification, preliminary results show the superiority of brainstem implants to conventional or even customized cochlear implants.
Sanna
Mario
M
Gruppo Otologico Piacenza, Rome, Italy.
Khrais
Tarek
T
Guida
Maurizio
M
Falcioni
Maurizio
M
D038262:Auditory Brain Stem Implants; D002648:Child; D003051:Cochlea / Q000473:pathology; D015834:Cochlear Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009999:Ossification, Heterotopic / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013067:Speech Perception