title: Residual Hearing Outcomes After Cochlear Implant Surgery Using Ultra-flexible 28-mm Electrodes.
abstract: To evaluate the preservation of low frequency residual hearing after cochlear implant surgery using an electrode for atraumatic implantation and complete cochlear stimulation.
  
  
  
  Retrospective clinical record study.
  
  
  
  Tertiary referral center.
  
  
  
  Fifty-six patients with functional deafness who had undergone cochlear implant surgery and received a Flex electrode (MED-EL GmbH, Innsbruck, Austria) between 2011 and 2014.
  
  
  
  Audiometric testing was performed before surgery and at the time of initial fitting.
  
  
  
  Change in low frequency residual hearing measured by pure tone audiometry.
  
  
  
  Preoperative hearing was relatively poor. After surgery low frequency residual hearing was partially preserved in most cases, however there was a significant hearing loss at all frequencies compared with the preoperative state. In only 23% of all cases complete hearing preservation was observed.
  
  
  
  Despite the use of a flexible electrode, complete preservation of low frequency residual hearing can only be achieved in a minority of patients. The use of a full insertion electrode of 28 mm in patients with poor preoperative thresholds does not allow for usable additional hearing at present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kisser
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wünsch
authors.forename: John-Martin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hempel
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adderson-Kisser
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stelter
authors.forename: Eike
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krause
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schrötzlmair
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D003051:Cochlea / Q000601:surgery; D019929:Cochlear Implantation; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies