Abstract. Nowadays, cochlear implantation (CI) is a popular and preferred method of rehabilitation for people with deafness. The development of technologies and new surgical techniques led to an expansion of indications for surgical intervention, which made it possible to rehabilitate patients with developmental abnormalities and acquired pathology of the inner ear, including with a defect of the internal auditory canal (IAC) and widespread obstruction of the spiral canal of the cochlea. However, against the background of increased rehabilitation opportunities for patients, a number of adverse reactions have also arisen, including nonhearing sensations when using the CI system. One of the most unpleasant side effects after successful cochlear implantation is the reaction of the facial nerve when one or more electrodes of the cochlear implant system are stimulated. Subjective sensations as well as visible twitching of facial muscles during sound stimulation bring discomfort, worsen the patient’s quality of life, and may lead to restriction of the use of a cochlear implant, including due to the forced use of speech processor settings that degrade the quality of rehabilitation. Facial nerve stimulation (FNS), which cannot be corrected, can lead to the patient’s complete refusal to operate the device. Due to the urgency of the problem, it became necessary to sort patients by risk groups for the development of FNS. Based on our experience, the Saint Petersburg Research Institute of ENT has developed its own algorithm for stratifying the risk of FNS in a candidate for CI. Objective. To share an algorithm developed on the basis of a retrospective study to assess the risk of facial nerve stimulation in candidates for CI at the preoperative stage.
Kuzovkov et al. (Mon,) studied this question.