THE LAURA MULTICHANNEL COCHLEAR IMPLANT IN A TRUE MONDINI-DYSPLASIA

A congenitally deaf child with bilateral Mondini dysplasias of the inn er ear was successfully implanted with a LAURA multichannel cochlear p rosthesis. This is the first report of a patient with a Mondini dyspla sia in whom a LAURA multichannel cochlear prosthesis was successfully implanted. The cerebrospinal fluid leakage typically occurring after c ochleostomy in similar patients was readily controlled, indicating tha t the deformity present was not a contra-indication for cochlear surge ry. The audiological results obtained are described in detail. Since t he internal unit of the LAURA prosthesis is very flexible, various spe ech processing strategies, such as continuous interleaved and phase-lo cked continuous interleaved strategies, can be tried and evaluated.