COCHLEAR IMPLANTATION IN A PATIENT WITH GRAND-MAL EPILEPSY

A case is reported in which a Nucleus 22 channel intracochlear implant was used to treat a deaf Hungarian woman (aged 37 years) with a 34-ye ar history of grand mal (GM) epilepsy maintained on carbamazepine-diaz epam combination therapy who had not benefited from conventional heari ng aids. Pre-operative electrical stimulation of the acoustic nerve, h owever, exhibited a good nerve function with no evidence of abnormal w aveforms in the electroencephalogram (EEG). Successful intracochlear i nsertion of the 22 electrode resulted in a 40 dB hearing improvement a t frequencies 250-2000 Hz in the implanted ear with no signs of pathol ogic wave activity at either the previously recognized epileptic focus (fronto-precentral region) or indeed, in other regions of the brain a t use of the implant. We conclude that intracochlear implantation per se is not a hazardous intervention in patients with fronto-precentral epileptic foci.