The Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Patients with Solid Organ Transplant

As far as it is known, long-lasting immunosuppressive therapy might put patients with solid organ transplantation (SOT) at increased risk for severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, eventually leading to cochlear implantation (C.I). So, the main aim of the present study is to evaluate their auditory perception performance after cochlear implantation.

This case-series study assessed the auditory perception performance of our center's six cochlear-implanted patients who had undergone solid organ transplantation before. The patients' age range was between 3 to 68 years old. Two participants (Female/ male) had received liver transplantation, and the rest (two males and two females) had undergone kidney transplantation. The assessment was conducted through the CAP (Categories of Auditory Performance) test in the first month of cochlear implantation and 12 months later.

Except for one patient (A 3-year-old girl) who has recently received a cochlear implantation device, and her rehabilitation program is in progress, the auditory perception performance of others improved from 2 to at least six scores. Also, no wound infection, mastoiditis, or bacterial meningitis occurred after cochlear implantation.

Immunosuppressive therapy, hemodialysis, infections, and long-lasting medication might lead to severe to profound sensory neural hearing loss in organ-transplanted patients. In recent years, cochlear implantation has been considered a final solution to help this group of patients to hear and communicate better.