Reoperations after cochlear implantation

During the 14-year history of cochlear implantation at Semmelweis Universit y, 95 implantations were performed. There were 15 reoperations, and 2 patie nts had been operated 3 times. All of the reoperated patients received roun d window or intracochlear MedEl devices. Successful reinsertion of the elec trode was performed without significant difficulty, though in some cases os teoneogenesis was found in the round window or in the scala tympani. None o f the patients suffered any inner ear abnormalities due to the first implan t, and even the patient with a third implant in the same ear had excellent results and obtained better discrimination scores with the new device. In t he authors' opinion, on the basis of the accumulated experience of nearly 1 00 implantations and 15 reoperations, replacement of the early generation e xtracochlear implants is most advisable and can be accomplished without adv erso effects.