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Updated: Aug 10, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Impedance Monitoring for Cochlear Implant Surgery
Published on: August 4, 2023
Pediatric cochlear implant explantation and reimplantation over a 32-year period
Vincent Hou1, Paula Tellez2, Marcela Fandiño3
1BC Children's Hospital, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada.
Insights
Pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients showed low explantation and reimplantation rates over 32 years. This Canadian hospital
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatric Audiology
Background:
- Cochlear implantation is a critical intervention for pediatric sensorineural hearing loss.
- Existing literature indicates significant variability in cochlear implant device survival and revision surgery rates.
- Long-term data on pediatric cochlear implant outcomes is essential for clinical practice and patient counseling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively analyze cochlear implant survival and explantation/reimplantation rates in pediatric patients.
- To evaluate device performance and failure modes over an extended period.
- To compare institutional outcomes with broader literature data.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients receiving cochlear implants (Cochlear Corporation®) from 1988 to 2020.
- Categorization of explantation/reimplantation reasons: medical, device, or inconclusive failure.
- Kaplan-Meier survival analysis stratified by implant model.
Main Results:
- 512 cochlear implants were performed over 32 years.
- Overall explantation/reimplantation rate was 3.32% (17/512), with low rates attributed to device (1.37%) and medical (1.76%) failures.
- Cumulative 20-year cochlear implant survival rate was 94.39%.
Conclusions:
- This Canadian tertiary pediatric hospital demonstrates lower-than-average cochlear implant failure, explantation, and reimplantation rates.
- The findings suggest robust device performance and effective management strategies in this pediatric cohort.
- Long-term cochlear implant survival rates are favorable, supporting the efficacy of the intervention.
Objectives:
Cochlear implantation is indicated for pediatric patients with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The literature reports large variability in cochlear implant (CI) device survival and rates of explantation and reimplantation. This retrospective chart review summarizes CI survival and rates of explantation and reimplantation in pediatric CI recipients at a Canadian tertiary pediatric hospital over 32 years.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review of all pediatric patients who received a Cochlear Corporation® CI between April 1988 and June 2020 was undertaken. Rates of explantation/reimplantation were collected and categorized based on device type and reason for failure (medical, device, and inconclusive failure). Device survival analysis based on implant model was also completed utilizing Kaplan-Meier curves.
Results:
512 CIs were implanted over the 32-year period by four surgeons (77.1%, 18.16%, 4.49%, and 0.20%, respectively). Patient age ranged from seven months to 20.4 years. The overall explantation and reimplantation rate was 3.32% (17/512 implants), with seven as a result of device failure (1.37%), nine events of medical failure (1.76%), and one inconclusive failure (0.20%). Cumulative CI survival rates at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 98.15%, 96.33%, 95.53%, and 94.39%.
Conclusion:
The overall institutional CI failure, explantation, and reimplantation rates are lower than the average reported rates in the literature.
