Cisplatin ototoxicity affecting cochlear implant benefit.

Objective: Report a case of loss of cochlear implant benefit after cisplatin therapy to treat osteosarcoma. Examine the implications for the loci of cisplatin-associated cochleotoxicity.

Study Design: Retrospective case review.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Patients: Single case study.

Intervention(s): None.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Cochlear implant programming levels.

Results: Increase in cochlear implant programming T- and C-levels after cisplatin therapy.

Conclusion: Cisplatin therapy likely affects spiral ganglion cells. It seems that auditory cells other than outer hair cells in the organ of Corti are affected by cisplatin because the hearing sensitivity of this patient with nonfunctioning outer hair cells declined after receiving chemotherapy. Implications of these findings are discussed.