Tympanostomy Tubes in Patients with Cochlear Implants

✍ Scribed by Jessica L. Kulak; Kevin D. Brown; Fred F. Telischi; Thomas J. Balkany

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 170 KB
• Volume: 119
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0023-852X
• DOI: 10.1002/lary.20416

✦ Synopsis

Objectives:

The purpose of the study is to assess the outcomes and complications that occur in patients that have cochlear implants and tympanostomy tubes.

Methods: retrospective chart review of pedi-atric patients that have cochlear implants and tympanostomy tubes placed either before or after cochlear implantation. Patients were identified by billing codes from 1999-2007.

Results:

The incidence of otitis media decreased after cochlear implantation. There were no cochlear implant related complications in this case series. The complications that occurred were tube related. There was no incidence of meningitis in this population. There were four hospitalizations, all related to an episode of acute otitis media that required intravenous antibiotics.

Conclusions: Otitis media will continue to occur in this pediatric age group. As demonstrated in this study, tympanostomy tubes appear to be safe and do not increase the incidence of cochlear implant related Tympanostomy Tubes in Cochlear Implant Patients • • Decrease incidence of OM after CI. Decrease incidence of OM after CI. • • AOM will continue to occur AOM will continue to occur • • No complications associated with No complications associated with CI were identified. CI were identified.