Re-implantation of an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) in a child: A case report

The study aimed at describing a case of auditory brainstem implant (ABI) paediatric re-implantation performed at the Akademiska University Hospital, Sweden. The patient was a boy with Goldenhar syndrome with absent vestibular-cochlear nerves and was first implanted with an ABI in 2009 at the age of two years. A technical device failure in 2015 led to a re-implantation at the age of nine years. The ABI was successfully re-implanted although the implant was closely attached to the surrounding tissue and difficult to remove. The intraoperative electrical auditory brainstem measures (eABRs) gave unclear responses after re-implantation. After 12 months, the patient’s hearing thresholds was not as good as it was after the primary implant, but it is still developing. The child is a full-time user. ABI re-implantation is possible even after many years, although there is a risk that the implant might be fixed to the brainstem and difficult to remove.