Cochlear Implantation in Pediatric Patients: Comparison of Limited-Incision and Standard Cochlear Implantation

Today, cochlear implantation has become the standard procedure for rehabilitation of people with impaired sensory neural hearing. This procedure can be done through different techniques. The present study aimed to compare the standard technique (ST) with creation of "C" incision into the scalp with suture fixation and limited-incision technique (LIT) with creation of subperiosteal pocket without any fixation. The outcomes included operative time and complications. This retrospective study was conducted on 343 consecutive cochlear implantations. The patients received cochlear implants at our institution between 2004 and 2011. The complications were identified as "minor" or "major". All the complications and operation times were assessed for the two surgical techniques. The overall rates of complications were 4.4 % (11 out of 252) and 2.2 % (2 out of 91) for ST and LIT, respectively. The results revealed no significant difference between the two fixation techniques regarding the complications. The mean operation time was 150 ± 23.7 and 133 ± 23.12 min in ST and LIT, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant. Both ST and LIT are safe techniques with a relatively low complication rate. However, ST can be effectively replaced by LIT because of its shorter operative time.