Utility and value of pre-operative CT and MRI for cochlear implantation in the elderly

To determine the utility and value of pre-operative imaging among the elderly population ≥70 y.o. with bilateral progressive sensorineural hearing loss undergoing cochlear implantation.

A retrospective, cross-sectional review was performed at a tertiary referral center between 2010 and 2018 including patients ≥70 y.o. with bilateral presbycusis who underwent preoperative imaging and cochlear implantation. Primary outcome was whether pre-operative imaging changed the surgeon's surgical plan such as side of implant or abort procedure entirely. Patient characteristics including age, sex, side of implant, imaging modality, whether imaging changed surgical plan, and surgical complications were reviewed. One-way analysis of variance with post-hoc tests using the Bonferroni and Fisher's exact test were used to examine differences between groups. Secondary outcome was cost of preoperative imaging.

One hundred thirty-three patients (mean age 79.38 [5.51 SD]) who underwent a total of 142 surgical cases and 147 total scans. There were 92, 27, and 14 patients who underwent CT, MRI, or both, respectfully (n=133). Of the 142 implants that were placed, preoperative imaging did not reveal a contraindication to placing implant on one side over another. Total cost of imaging was $29,694. Estimated cost if 20% of cochlear implant eligible patients ≥70 y.o. underwent imaging is $7,763,490.

Decreasing unnecessary preoperative imaging can potentially decrease cost in cochlear implantation. In this sample, preoperative imaging did not affect the surgeon's choice of which side to operate on. However, imaging may provide an anatomic roadmap and contribute to either surgical confidence or caution. With the increasing amount of cochlear implant eligible elderly adults, preoperative imaging needs to be more clearly defined in this unique population.