New experience in cochlear implantation at Benghazi Medical Center

Aims: Deafness is a pathology that interferes in several aspects of the emotional, psychological, social, and intellectual life. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that allow hearing rehabilitation. This study is carried out to show our experience in cochlear implantation at Benghazi Medical Center, Libya. Patients and Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was performed over 110 patients at the Otorhinolaryngology Department, Benghazi Medical Center, between August 2012 and April 2016. The patients were analyzed according to the age, sex, type of implant inserted, approach, and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Two types of implant devices were used: cochlear and MED-EL. Surgery was done by the same surgical team. Results: Seventy of all patients operated for cochlear implantation were male (63.6%), while forty were female (36.4%). One hundred and four (94.5%) were children and 6 (5.55%) were adults. One hundred (91%) cases were prelingually deaf and 10 (9%) were postlingual deafness. Telemetry showed satisfactory neural response in 107 (97.35) cases. Failure to insert the electrode in 1 (0.9%) case as the cochlea was ossified bilaterally. Extrusion of the receiver took place in 1 (0.9%) case. One (0.9%) patient had extrusion after 2 years; another 1 (0.9%) had wound dehiscence. Despite our few years of experience in cochlear implantation, we have achieved the requirement of our patients. The need for structured services and trained professionals in this type of procedure is clear.