Reoperations after cochlear implantation.

Abstract

During the 14-year history of cochlear implantation at Semmelweis University, 95 implantations were performed. There were 15 reoperations, and 2 patients had been operated 3 times. All of the reoperated patients received round window or intracochlear MedE1 devices. Successful reinsertion of the electrode was performed without significant difficulty, though in some cases osteoneogenesis was found in the round window or in the scala tympani. None of the patients suffered any inner ear abnormalities due to the first implant, and even the patient with a third implant in the same ear had excellent results and obtained better discrimination scores with the new device. In the authors' opinion, on the basis of the accumulated experience of nearly 100 implantations and 15 reoperations, replacement of the early generation extracochlear implants is most advisable and can be accomplished without adverse effects.