Surgical and medical complications in paediatric cochlear implantation: a review of 300 cases

The aim of the study was to investigate an incidence of surgical and medical complications in different age groups of cochlear implant children. A retrospective study design was used. Patients' medical records were reviewed for age at the time of implantation, cause of deafness and complications. The incidence of complications was compared between the young (aged up to 2 years, n = 61) and older children (aged 216 years, n = 239). Some 300 paediatric cochlear implantations were performed in our department between January 1993 and March 2005. Major complications, such as facial nerve paralysis, electrode misplacement, foreign body reaction, flap breakdown, protrusion of the positioner and cholesteatoma were rare (3%). Disequilibrium was found to be the most common complication, followed by wound problems and mastoiditis without significant differences between the two groups. However, magnet or receiver-stimulator displacement were more common in the young children (p = 0.028). Most surgical and medical complications could be treated successfully, and only 2% required explantation of the device. Generally, operating on a child aged under 2 years was not particularly different from operating on an older child.