HEARRING group genetic marker study: genetic background of CI patients.

Background: While cochlear implantation (CI) and electric acoustic stimulation (EAS) have a positive outcome in most cases, their effectiveness varies depending on the etiology of the hearing loss. Among the various etiologies, genetic factors are the leading cause of hearing loss and may impact CI and EAS outcomes.

Aims/objectives: To reveal the genetic background of the hearing loss in CI/EAS patients in each ethnic population, we undertook a multi-center study involving the genetic testing of hearing loss in CI/EAS patients from 10 centers.

Worldwide Variation in Cochlear Implant Candidacy.

Background: The aim of this study was to find out how candidacy criteria have evolved differently across the globe.

Methods: Candidacy criteria and outcome measurements applied in 19 HEARRING clinics were analyzed.

Results: Candidacy criteria vary between clinics.

The reliability of hearing implants: report on the type and incidence of cochlear implant failures.

This study presents the data collected through a database on the type and incidence of cochlear implant device failures and major complications and quantifies the risk of failures across time based on the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) CI86:2017 standard. Information on reliability of MED-EL cochlear implants was collected from the MED-EL complaint database between 2003 and2013. Explants were categorized and device reliability was calculated according to the AAMI CI86:2017 standard principles.

Hearing preservation cochlear implantation in children: The HEARRING Group consensus and practice guide.

Objectives: To provide multidisciplinary cochlear implant teams with a current consensus statement to support hearing preservation cochlear implantation (HPCI) in children, including those children with symptomatic partial deafness (PD) where the intention is to use electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS). The main objectives are to provide guidelines on who is a candidate, how to assess these children and when to implant if Med-El Flex electrode arrays are chosen for implantation.

Methods: The HEARRING group reviewed the current evidence and practice regarding the management of children to be considered for HPCI surgery emphasizing the assessment needed prior to implantation in order to demonstrate the benefits in these children over time.

Patient management for cochlear implant recipients in audiology departments: A practice review.

Objectives: To determine and evaluate the time clinics needed to complete the sub-processes involved in the first-fitting and follow-up fitting of people with a cochlear implant.

Methods: Eight HEARRING clinics completed a questionnaire recording how long it took to complete the sub-processes involved in first-fitting and follow-up fitting cochlear implant recipients. The mean times of clinics and procedures were then compared.

Quality standards for bone conduction implants.

Conclusion: Bone conduction implants are useful in patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss for whom conventional surgery or hearing aids are no longer an option. They may also be used in patients affected by single-sided deafness.

Objectives: To establish a consensus on the quality standards required for centers willing to create a bone conduction implant program.

Role of HRCT and MRI of the Temporal Bone in Predicting and Grading the Degree of Difficulty of Cochlear Implant Surgery.

This study proposes a grading system based on a 10-point scoring chart of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) imaging findings in patients being assessed preoperatively for cochlear implantation. This system helps in objectively assessing the degree of difficulty of the surgical procedure and alerts the surgeons to any potential intraoperative complications. This is a prospective study carried out at a tertiary referral center where 55 patients with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss were evaluated by HRCT and MRI and subsequently underwent cochlear implantation.

Case report - biofilm infection of a cochlear implant.

One of the most dreaded complications after cochlear implantation is infection. These infections are a challenge due to lack of any data regarding optimal methods of investigation and management. More often than not, these patients have to undergo explantation and revision surgery.