2021 Volume 31 Issue 4 Pages 479-484
In Japan, electric acoustic stimulation (EAS) has been approved only with the use of a short electrode array (e.g., Flex24TM) and specific audio processors with built-in acoustic stimulation components, such as DUET2 TM and SONNET EAS TM manufactured by MED-EL. We herein report a case showing the EAS benefit from the combined use of the DUET2 processor and the Flex28 electrode array, which has not yet been approved for EAS in Japan. A 53-year-old female with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who underwent EAS surgery using a Flex24 electrode in her left ear, followed by late-onset deterioration of residual hearing in the operated ear 2 years and 4 months after implantation. She underwent a second cochlear implant surgery at the age of 59 years using a Flex28 electrode and an RONDO2 audio processor in her right ear. Because adequate preservation of low-frequency residual hearing was confirmed 6 months after implantation, she started to use her DUET2 audio processor on the right ear for EAS. The Japanese monosyllable scores examined 18 months postoperatively were better with EAS than with electric stimulation alone either under quiet or background noise conditions. This case study suggests the importance of the clinical availability of the EAS processor based on hearing capabilities regardless of the length and shape of the implanted electrode array.
