Cochlear implantation under local anaesthesia, the Belfast experience

The profoundly deaf, who gain little or no benefit from conventional hearing aids and meet various criteria are potential candidates for cochlear implantation. The last two decades have witnessed remarkable progress in this field, and it is now a routine clinical procedure. A few adult patients who are potential candidates for cochlear implantation have an unacceptably high risk for hypotensive general anaesthesia due to other systemic conditions. This group has been successfully implanted under local anaesthesia in our centre. The post-implantation progress of these patients was comparable to those carried out under hypotensive general anaesthesia. Data regarding patient selection criteria, examination, anaesthesia, surgery and the outcome are discussed. It was concluded that cochlear implantation under local anaesthesia is a safe and effective procedure for those patients who otherwise may be denied an implant.