Auditory brainstem implant in postmeningitis totally ossified cochleae.

INTRODUCTION: An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is an option for auditory rehabilitation in patients with totally ossified cochleae who cannot receive a conventional cochlear implant.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes in audiometry and speech perception tests after the implantation of an ABI via the extended retrolabyrinthine approach in patients with postmeningitis hearing loss.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients, including children and adults, with postmeningitis hearing loss and bilateral totally ossified cochleae received an ABI in a tertiary center from 2009 to 2015. The extended retrolabyrinthine approach was performed in all the patients by the same surgeons. A statistical analysis compared pure tonal averages and speech perception tests before and at least 12 months after the ABI activation.

RESULTS: Eight patients (80%) showed improvements in tonal audiometry and the word and vowel perception tests after an average follow-up of 3.3 years. Two patients recognized up to 40% of the closed-set sentences without lip-reading. Two patients had no auditory response.

CONCLUSIONS: The ABI improved hearing performance in audiometry and speech perception tests in cases of postmeningitis hearing loss. The extended retrolabyrinthine approach is a safe surgical option for patients with postmeningitis hearing loss and bilateral totally ossified cochleae.