Auditory nerve function following cochleitis

We present a case of temporary cochlear nerve dysfunction due to endocochlear inflammation with subsequent recovery. Retrospective case review at a pediatric tertiary care hospital. A nine-year-old male presented seven years post-cochlear implantation with an electrode array extruded into the external auditory canal. Upon exploration in the operating room, turbid perilymph from the scala tympani was discovered. A new electrode array was implanted. The patient had no discernible neural response telemetry (NRT) responses or auditory perception immediately following the procedure. Continuous but varying stimulation was continued postoperatively. Two months after implantation, he began having some auditory awareness; subsequent mapping resulted in the activation of a limited number of channels. Nine months following reimplantation, NRT demonstrated responses in three channels. Additionally, functional gain testing revealed sound awareness levels in the mild-hearing-loss range and the patient was able to detect and repeat all six Ling sounds. Continuous cochlear nerve stimulation at various levels may aid in function recovery after endocochlear inflammation.