Introduction. The first cochlear implant surgery was performed at the Center
for Cochlear Implantation of the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases,
Clinical Center of Vojvodina in 2002 after long preparations and that was the
first successful cochlear implantation in Serbia. Material and Methods. Over
the period from November 2002 to November 2013, 99 patients underwent
surgical procedures and 100 cochlear implants were placed. Results. The
analysis encompassed 99 patients, the youngest and the oldest one being 1
year and 61 years old, respectively. Prelingual and postlingual deafness
developed in 84 (84.9%) and in 15 (15.1%), respectively. Postlingual deafness
was observed in all 11 adult patients. The prelingual deafness was diagnosed
in 84 (95.4%) children, whereas in four (4.6%) children it occurred after the
development of speech between 6 and 8 years of age. Progressive hearing loss
was observed in 11 patients - seven adults and four children. The majority of
our patients, i.e. 74 (74.75%) manifested idiopathic deafness of unknown
cause. A range of usually reported hearing loss etiologies included ototoxic
medications in seven (7.07%), hereditary factor in six (6.06%), and bacterial
meningitis in four (4.04%) patients. Somewhat less common causes were
perinatal hypoxia in three (3.03%), premature birth in three (3.03%), Down
syndrome in one (1.01%), and chronic otitis media in one (1.01%) patient.
Conclusion. Both intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed
in the investigated patient population. The complications developed in 11
patients, i.e. in 10.5% of 105 surgical procedures. The majority of
procedures (89.5%) were not accompanied by any post-surgical complications.
Unsuccessful implantation in a single-step procedure and transient facial
nerve paralysis can be considered most frequent among our patients, whereas
cochlear ossification and transient ataxia occurred more rarely. Stimulation
of facial nerve, intraoperative perilymph liquid gusher, device failure and
late infections were recorded extremely rarely.
Cochlear implant surgery at the Clinical Center of Vojvodina - ten-year experience
