Journal de science et d'ingénierie tissulaires

Biomechanics and Immunomediated Mechanisms in the Cochlear Implant Rejection

Abstract

Navarrete ML, Fuentes JF, Herrero T, Velasco M, Gonzlez M and Moya JR

Patients with bilateral and severe neurosensorial hypoacusia are candidates for cochlear implantation. Eventhough it’s a relatively modern procedure, it has a very low rate of complications (5-10%), making it a safe surgery. The Cohen classification is currently used to measure and group the complications of this surgery, classifying them according to the moment in which they appear whether it’s intraoperative or postoperative time. We present the case of a female patient who suffered the extrusion of the implant several months after the procedure. She was re-operated successfully, but she returned months later with a second extrusion of the same implant. We did not find any other report of this phenomenon in the revised literature. We present this case with pictures of the repair surgery and the patient’s current condition. We also analyze possible causes of this cochlear implant rejection, citing both magnetomechanical and immunomediated factors.