Contralateral recovery of cochlear function after cochlear implantation

Significant recovery of sensorineural hearing loss in either ear after cochlear implantation (CI) is rare. We present the case of a 57-year-old lady with medically treated depression and a background of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in the non-implanted ear, who clearly fulfilled audiological criteria for CI. Two years post-implantation her CSOM in the non-implanted ear was addressed with blind sac closure of the ear. Post-operatively the hearing thresholds in this ear had improved to the extent that a bone-anchored hearing aid became a viable option. The literature is carefully reviewed to consider possible explanations of this phenomenon.