Auditory rehabilitation after long-term deafness.
OBJECTIVE
The duration of preexisting profound deafness in patients with bilateral retrocochlear lesions is known to correlate negatively to the extent of auditory restoration after auditory brainstem implantation. There is, therefore, a lack of information regarding the potential of the central auditory system to mediate hearing perception after long-term deafness.


METHODS
The authors evaluated auditory perception in a case of auditory brainstem implantation after 35 years of deafness.


RESULTS
Electrically evoked auditory brainstem potentials could be elicited by both stimulus polarities and were consistent with auditory brainstem origin. Discrimination between temporal and spectral patterns in speech could be achieved. This permitted us to distinguish various voice qualities, especially of familiar speakers in quiet surroundings.


CONCLUSIONS
The potential of the deafferentiated central auditory system to mediate auditory brainstem implant-induced hearing perception even after very long-term deafness has been demonstrated. Those patients with complete dysfunction of Cranial Nerve VIII for a long period may be considered as candidates for auditory brainstem implantation in the future.
Gharabaghi
Alireza
A
Department of Neurosurgery, Eberhard Karls University Hospital, Tübingen, Germany. alireza.gharabaghi@unituebingen.de
Löwenheim
Hubert
H
Heckl
Stefan
S
Koerbel
Andrei
A
Kaminsky
Jan
J
Tatagiba
Marcos
M
D038262:Auditory Brain Stem Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome