title: A case report: the first successful cochlear implant in Uganda.
abstract: Hearing impairment is a significant disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of the world's approximately 120 million people with hearing impairment live in developing countries. Cochlear implant is the only therapeutic intervention for those with severe-profound sensorineural hearing loss. We are reporting an interesting case of the very first cochlear implant operation carried out in Uganda. The patient was a 23 year old male whose presenting complaint was inability to hear in the left ear for three and a half years and in the right ear for one year. He had been treated for TB(Tuberculosis) mastoiditis. After the 8 months of treatment, the otorrhea persisted and he underwent a tympanomastoidectomy on the same ear. He reported no familial history of hearing loss. On examination, ENT examination revealed a small pars flaccida retration pocket of the right tympanic membrane with cholesteatoma. The left ear had an intact tympanic membrane. Pure tone audiometry revealed profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears (see attached PTA results), CT scan of the temporal bone showed normal inner ear anatomy bilaterally and mild sclerotic changes in both mastoid bones. He then had surgery on his right ear which included cochlear implantation. The cochlear implant (CI) was activated on the first postoperative day remotely via internet with the help of the cochlear implant team at New York University Cochlear Implant Center and the patient was immediately able to appreciate some sounds. He received a pneumococcal vaccine on the first postoperative day and was discharged the following day.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Byaruhanga
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Professor and Chair, New York University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: J Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Gustav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buname
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kakande
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Awubwa
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ndorelire
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Justine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Namwagala
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014454:Uganda
keywords: Cochlear implant; deafness