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Performing Intracochlear Electrocochleography During Cochlear Implantation
Published on: March 8, 2022
MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implantation in adults
Marc K Bassim1, Emily Buss, Marcia S Clark
1Department of Otolaryngology, Neuroscience Hospital, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
The Laryngoscope
|September 9, 2005
Summary
Cochlear implantation with the MED-EL Combi40+ system is safe and effective for adults with severe to profound hearing loss. Speech perception outcomes were favorable, though prelingually deafened adults showed more variability.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cochlear implantation is a primary treatment for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss.
- The MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implant system, featuring a 31-mm electrode and continuous interleaved sampling, was approved in the US in 2001.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review a single institution's experience with the MED-EL Combi40+ cochlear implant in adult patients.
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the MED-EL Combi40+ system.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of medical-surgical and audiological data.
- Data collected from 112 adult patients who received the MED-EL Combi40+ implant between December 1998 and April 2004.
Main Results:
- Surgical complication rates and speech perception results were comparable to other cochlear implant systems.
- Postlingually deafened adults achieved significant speech understanding improvements (e.g., 64% at 1 year with +10 dB SNR).
- Prelingually deafened adults showed benefit but with lower plateau performance and greater variability; 6% of devices required re-implantation.
Conclusions:
- Cochlear implantation using the MED-EL Combi40+ system demonstrates safety and efficacy in adult patients.
- The device provides significant benefits for hearing rehabilitation in adults with sensorineural hearing loss.