Investigation of vestibular function after cochlear implantation at the time of primary care

Introduction One of the more common complications is vestibular discomfort, which can occur either directly after cochlear implantation (CI) or later.

Materials and methodology We report a systematic clinical observation of 86 patients (adults> 18 years) who received a cochlear implant between August 2018 and December 2018.The preoperative and postoperative clinical routine with regard to vestibular symptoms as well as measurements based on the clinical symptoms were evaluated at the time of initial adaptation (approximately 4-6 weeks postoperatively). Clinical routine diagnostics included: spontaneous and provocation nystagmus, caloric, Romberg and Unterberger tests, and head pulse tests.

Result In 16 of the 86 CI patients (19%) dizziness symptoms occurred immediately after the operation or in the first postoperative weeks. These were treated with intravenous steroids before discharge. In four of the 16 patients (4% of 86 patients), dizziness persisted until the time of first adjustment. No patient developed post-discharge dizziness symptoms.

In the caloric vestibular examination, a pathological finding was found postoperatively in 5 cases. A correlation to the electrode position is shown.

Discussion The preoperative consideration of a complicating, CI-induced dizziness is essential in the counseling v.a. the elderly patient. However, the assessment remains difficult in patients with existing neurological or other balance disorders. However, we can conclude that CI implantation alone causes a peripheral vestibular complication in less than 10% of cases.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
10. Juni 2020