Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Enhanced Cochlear Coverage and Hearing Preservation in High-Frequency Hearing Loss via Electric Acoustic Stimulation with Longer Electrode
Published on: October 11, 2024
Cochlear reimplantation after surgery for electric-acoustic stimulation
Silke Helbig1, Matthias Helbig, Tobias Rader
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University, DE-60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. silke.helbig@kgu.de
Background/Aims:
Combined electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) of the auditory system usually results in better speech understanding than electric stimulation only, assuming low-frequency hearing can be preserved. Treatment options and outcomes for 4 subjects experiencing compromised hearing after EAS surgery are discussed.
Methods:
Each subject underwent revision surgery to replace the original 21-mm electrode arrays used in EAS surgery with cochlear implants (CIs) with 31-mm arrays. Our aims were: (1) to investigate whether deeper insertion is possible, and (2) to evaluate the influence of electrode insertion angle by comparing speech perception scores before and after revision surgery.
Results:
Deeper insertion was feasible in all subjects. Speech understanding scores after reimplantation were comparable to those seen after the first intervention.
Conclusion:
A 360-degree insertion under EAS conditions provides sufficient speech understanding, even in cases of additional hearing loss. Reimplantation with a longer electrode array is feasible in former EAS patients.