STAPEDIUS REFLEX MEASUREMENTS DURING SURGERY FOR COCHLEAR IMPLANTATION IN CHILDREN

Electrically evoked stapedius reflex measurements were obtained in 19 children during surgery for cochlear implantation. They all received t he Nucleus device. Stapedius reflexes could be elicited in all the chi ldren with congenital deafness but not in all the children with an eti ology of meningitis. The intraoperative stapedius reflex thresholds we re compared with postoperative values obtained after fitting of the sp eech processor and with the children's long-term behavioral most comfo rtable levels (C-levels). The intraoperative reflex thresholds were co nsiderably higher than the postoperative reflex thresholds (44 ''stimu lus level steps'' on the average), which could in part be ascribed to the influence of anesthetics used during surgery. It was concluded tha t, especially in children with an etiology of meningitis, the intraope rative stapedius reflex threshold (even after corrections for the conc entration of the volatile anesthetics used) was a weak predictor of th e C-level.