Sixteen years of cochlear implant surgery in cochleovestibular malformation and cochlear nerve deficiency: Insights from northern Malaysia

Congenital sensorineural hearing loss associated with cochleovestibular malformations (CVM) and/or cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) presents distinct surgical and audiological challenges. Patients with CVM face elevated risks of intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) gushers and aberrant facial nerve courses, while those with CND have historically been viewed as poor candidates for cochlear implantation (CI) due to...

Retrospective single-centre data from a specialised population; useful for benchmarking outcomes in complex anatomy cases, but the retrospective design limits definitive practice changes — surgeons should weigh these outcomes when counselling candidates with cochleovestibular malformations or cochlear nerve deficiency.

Long-term outcome data from this anatomically complex population remain scarce, and this 16-year series is one of the largest from Southeast Asia, helping calibrate realistic expectations for cochlear implantation in challenging cases.

1. 0116-year retrospective review of CI outcomes in patients with cochleovestibular malformations (CVM) and/or cochlear nerve deficiency (CND).
2. 02Study originates from northern Malaysia, adding a Southeast Asian regional perspective largely absent from the literature.
3. 03Both surgical and audiological outcomes were examined across the cohort.
4. 04Retrospective design limits causal inference; no randomised control group.
5. 05Findings may inform pre-operative counselling and surgical planning for complex CI candidates.

PMID

42216748

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

4

Population

Patients with cochleovestibular malformations and/or cochlear nerve deficiency who underwent cochlear implantation at a centre in northern Malaysia over 16 years

Intervention

Cochlear implantation in patients with cochleovestibular malformations and/or cochlear nerve deficiency