title: Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs)--20 years of clinical experience in Uppsala, Sweden.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Even though sound perception may be limited after treatment with an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), it provides benefits and should be selectively offered to patients. Importantly the patients must be motivated, given reasonable expectations of outcome and offered long-term rehabilitation with a considerable 'learn to listen' period with the implant device.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe the clinical experiences and results of 24 ABI surgeries performed in Uppsala University Hospital between 1993 and 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Most patients (n = 20) suffered from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2); a few patients (n = 4) were paediatric non-NF2 patients. The files were searched for information on the presurgery size of the vestibular schwannoma, whether the patient had undergone gamma knife treatment, the surgical approach, the side effects of the surgery and of the use of the implant, the electrode activation pattern and implant use, and categories of auditory performance (CAP) score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results show that many patients greatly benefited from an ABI, and most of the patients used their implants even though the hearing improvements usually consisted of awareness of surrounding sounds and improved lip-reading. No severe side effects were observed from implant stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery, Uppsala University Hospital , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siegbahn
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lundin
authors.forename: Gun-Britt
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stillesjö
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kinnefors
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rask-Andersen
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nyberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods; D038263:Auditory Brain Stem Implantation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D038262:Auditory Brain Stem Implants; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D016518:Neurofibromatosis 2 / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009464:Neuroma, Acoustic / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: NF2; long-term results; neurofibromatosis type 2; rehabilitation; vestibular schwannoma