A case of cochlear implant with internal mechanical failure.
Cochlear implantation has been performed since the 1970s and has been proven to be an effective treatment for profoundly deaf people. In some cases re-implantation has also been reported due to trauma causing implant damage, mechanical failure, extrusion, and wound infections, or device upgrade. We present a case of a 9-year-old boy with a cochlear implant in which mechanical failure occurred after a blow to his temporal region. The clinical presentation and radiographic imaging findings suggested that the cause of mechanical failure was internal failure. We performed cochlear re-implantation to the same ear and it worked well. The explanted device analysis by the manufacturer concluded that the device had failed due to a cracked hybrid integrated circuit.
Ohno
Tsunehisa
T
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. tohno@ent.kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Iki
Takehiro
T
Taniguchi
Aiko
A
Fujiki
Nobuya
N
Ohta
Kouzou
K
Ito
Juichi
J
D002648:Child; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed