Which imaging modality in cochlear implant candidates?

There is no guideline or consensus on preoperative radiologic imaging modality despite the fact that it has a vital importance in appropriate candidacy selection of cochlear implantation. We aimed to find out the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on surgical planning, intraoperative technique in cochlear implant candidates.

The clinical charts, imagings, and operative reports of patients who underwent cochlear implant surgery at a tertiary institution were retrospectively examined.

611 patients (503 children and 108 adult) were enrolled into the study. We found 11 different pathologies in MRI which could not be seen in HRCT. However, we decided the side of surgery according to MRI in only three of them in which the pathology was cochlear nerve hypoplasia. Two patients with cochlear nerve hypoplasia were children with prelingual deafness and one was adult with perilingual deafness. Moreover, we changed the surgical planning of side according to both imaging modalities in nine patients. Seven of them were children and two were adult. One of these adults had cochlear anomaly, and another had bilateral temporal bone fracture.

We suggest both imaging modalities in pediatric candidates. However, in adults, we think that superiority of either imaging modalities is still contradictive. We had only three adult patients and the decision of the side of surgery was made according to MRI in one of them and to both imaging modalities in the other two adults.