Complications of cochlear implantation: a decade’s experience

Abstract

Purpose: Surgery for cochlear implantation is becoming increasingly common. It is a precise surgery and carries with it a number of very specific complications. Although uncommon, they can profoundly affect the recipients’ quality of life. We report on our patients’ population and compare with different series. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent cochlear implant surgery in our center or who were referred for management of complications between November 2012 and November 2022. Results: There were 2126 patients aged 9 months-68 years [mean 3.2 yrs] with 147 adults > 18 yrs. The male: female ratio was nearly 1. We are reporting on late complications excluding device failures. There were 186 complications [8.7%], 124 minor complications [66% of the complications, 5.8% of the total population; and 62 major complications [33% of the complications and 2.9% of the total]. The commonest minor complication was surgical site infection [16%] and the commonest major complication was flap necrosis and device extrusion [26%]. Conclusion: Complications in our series were comparable to other series from different locations. But there seems to be a difference in the frequency of each complication depending on many factors which must be addressed. Standardization of reporting should be also more homogenized.