title: Experience in cochlear reimplantation. Descriptive study of a 20-year period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The cochlear implant is a surgical procedure that has increased substantially, because the paediatric population is diagnosed and implanted early and because there are increased potential indications. This device has the inherent risk of failure in performance, as dies any active medical device, which is the most common cause of implant removal. Our goal was to understand what the causes that produced removal in our series were, and confirm if these conformed to reality as reviewed in the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective, descriptive, observational study of 859 cochlear implant surgeries carried out between October 1991 and May 2011. The causes of implant removal were classified according to the European Consensus Statement on Cochlear Implant Failures and Explantations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The reimplantation rate was 6.16% (n=51). The most common reason for removal was technical device failure (45.5%), followed by infection/rejection (23.6%) and upgrade (12.7%). Less common causes: there were 3 cases (5.6%) of electrode misplacement, 2 cases (3.6%) of labyrinthine ossification, 2 (3.6%) as a result of head trauma, 2 (3.6%) from need for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and 1 case (1.8%) from psychiatric illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cochlear reimplantation is a safe procedure, with a low complication rate. In our centre, it reaches an overall rate of 6.16%. Technical device failure remains the most common cause of this procedure, although there is a significant percentage of reimplantation for device update.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España. Electronic address: andresgut86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Salazar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: Constanze
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cop
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Osorio-Acosta
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borkoski-Barreiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Falcón-González
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Otorrinolaringología y Patología Cérvico-Facial, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular-Materno Infantil, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Ramos-Macías
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000009:adverse effects; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma; D003638:Deafness / Q000151:congenital / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D020878:Device Removal; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted / Q000009:adverse effects; D004868:Equipment Failure; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005549:Foreign-Body Reaction / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012559:Schizophrenia
keywords: Cochlear implants; Complicaciones; Complications; Hearing loss sensorineural; Hipoacusia neurosensorial; Implante coclear