Proceeding Volume 9 Issue 2
1Otologist, Neurotologist, ENT Surgeon, Hospital Militar Central, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada ClOtologist, Neurotologist, ENT Surgeon, Hospital Militar Central, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada Clínica Universitaria Colombia, Fundación Universitaria Sanitas, Colombia
2MsC Infections and Health in the Tropics Epidemiologist, Colombia
3Language Therapist Audiologist Hospital Militar Central Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia
4Language Therapist, Clínica Universitaria Colombia, Colombia
Correspondence: Leonardo Elias Ordonez-Ordonez, Otolaryngology Department, Clinica Universitaria Colombia, Calle 24b # 68a-42. Int 4, Apto 116, Bogota, Colombia
Received: November 09, 2017 | Published: November 15, 2017
Citation: Ordonez-Ordonez LE, Angulo-Martínez ES, Rodriguez SR, Vanegas SC (2017) Clinical Safety and Outcomes with Nurotron™ Cochlear Implant in Spanish Speaking Patients. J Otolaryngol ENT Res 9(2): 00280. DOI: 10.15406/joentr.2017.09.00280
Aim: to assess clinical safety and postoperative audiological outcomes in Spanish speaking patients that underwent surgery with Nurotron™ cochlear implant.
Method: A Before-and-after study was performed. Patients with bilateral severe to profound neurosensorial hearing loss or patients with unilateral deafness with/without tinnitus were included in the study. Repeated-measures within-subjects for assess pure tone thresholds and speech performance (Bilingual Test) with a detailed monitoring to establish security or adverse effects were performed. T-test for paired samples was used for statistical analysis.
Results: 32 patients were included, 18 (56.3%) men and 14 (43.7%) women. Mean age at the time of surgery was 49.1±19.8years. 30 (93.8%) patients were postlingual and 2 (6.2%) were prelingual. In 17 (53.1%) patients the hearing loss was unilateral, and in 15 (46.9%) the hearing loss was bilateral. The mean follow-up of the group was 22.2±9.0months (minimum=5months and maximum=40months). As major complication only one patient (3.1%) with high-spending gusher was reported, related with ossified cochlea and unrelated with the brand of the cochlear implant. Hard failures and extrusions are not reported in the followed-up period in this group. The average of inserted electrodes was 21.9 (the patient with ossified cochlea has 6 working electrodes), and 31 patients are using the cochlear implant more than twelve hours/day (one patient died of omentum cancer). In the postlingual patients, the mean pure tone average in free field audiometry was 33.2dB at six months (n=28, p<0.05 respect preoperative), the speech discrimination score at 65db SPL was over 50% at six months (n=26, p<0.05 respect to preoperative), and over 70% at 12 months (n=25, p<0.05 respect to preoperative). A statistically significant reduction was observed in patients with tinnitus (p <0.05). All patients are using the Venus processor with the APS strategy.
Conclusion: The clinical safety and audiological outcomes are satisfactory and supports the reliable use of the Nurotron™ cochlear implant; we need more studies focused in long term follow-up and quality of life outcomes to confirm these results.
Keywords: cochlear implants, hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, deafness, tinnitus
Author declares there are no conflicts of interest.
None.
None.
©2017 Ordonez-Ordonez, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.