Comparison of cochlear implantation and auditory brainstem implantation in neurofibromatosis type 2 patients at our Department

Abstract

The complete loss of hearing is a frequent result of neurofibromatosis type 2 patients (NF2). To overcome this handicap, auditory brainstem implantation (ABI) has become one option. However, the reported hearing outcomes vary significantly. Recently, several individual case reports have appeared in the literature describing good hearing outcomes using cochlear implantation (CI) in NF2 patients with profound deafness. Then, we compared the hearing outcomes in 9 deaf patients with NF2, in those two of them fitted with CI and seven fitted with ABI.
Among the seven patients fitted with ABI, only two patients achieved speech recognition (respectively, 7% and 31% in the CI-2004 school child sentences test). Thirty one percent is the best score of the seven patients fitted with ABI. In the group of 2 patients fitted with CI, one reached exellent speech recognition, scoring 88% in the CI-2004 adult on daily conversation sentences test. Another patient achieved speech recognition 33% in the CI-2004 school child sentences test.
If the cochlear nerve can be preserved anatomically and promontory stimulation test can be positive, and if the degree of a tumor compression symptom can be allowed, CI should be preceded to ABI.