Cochlear implantation in patients with meningitis: clinical characteristics and postoperative evaluation.

Background: Hearing loss is a common sequala of () meningitis, but few have addressed cochlear implantation (CI) candidates with meningitis.

Objectives: To assess the clinical characteristics and CI postoperative outcomes in meningitis patients.

Material And Methods: Eight meningitis patients underwent CI at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital between 2020 and 2023. Control groups included (1) non-Suis meningitis patients ( = 12) and (2) non-meningitis patients ( = 35). Electrode impedances and neural response telemetry (NRT) thresholds were recorded at one month after surgery. The auditory performance-II (CAP) and speech intelligibility rating (SIR) were recorded at the last visit.

Results: CAP scores of meningitis patients were significantly lower than those of non-Suis meningitis and non-meningitis patients ( = .019; <.001). And NRT thresholds of meningitis patients were higher than those of non-Suis meningitis and non-meningitis patients ( = .006;  = .027).

Conclusions And Significance: It is recommended for meningitis CI candidates to undergo CI promptly after controlling infection, preferably within four to six weeks. CI users with meningitis tend to exhibit suboptimal hearing rehabilitation outcomes, possibly associated with the more severe damage on spiral ganglion cells after meningitis.