Hearing preservation surgery: current opinions.
OBJECTIVE
Although the indications and surgical technique for cochlear implantation are well formalized, the introduction of hearing preservation surgery and electric acoustic stimulation have posed new questions for the cochlear implant clinician. This study was designed to crystallize the contemporary views of the implant community on how best to implement these new strategies.


METHODS
An anonymized questionnaire was made available to members of the Politzer Society and a selected group of implant surgeons via the Internet. Five questions required the respondent to choose a specific answer from the text on technique and 17 questions assessed the relative importance attached to the statements relating to the surgical process. A final question inquired on what basis the opinions were derived. The country of origin was also identified.


RESULTS
The questionnaire was sent to 180 clinicians of whom 62 replied (34%). Tacit agreement was obtained in 2 of the specific questions and in 10 of the relative importance inquiries. There were varying degrees of opinions on the remaining questions.


CONCLUSIONS
It is clear that there is still limited consensus between surgeons when considering ways of maximizing outcomes in hearing preservation surgery and electric acoustic stimulation. More protocol-driven studies are required before an accepted gold standard approach can be achieved.
Fitzgerald O'Connor
Edmund
E
Fitzgerald O'Connor
Alec
A
D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome