Surgical complications following cochlear implantation in adults based on a proposed reporting consensus

CONCLUSION: The rate of severe complications was low and cochlear implantation is a relatively safe procedure. Standardization is crucial when reporting on cochlear implant complications to ensure comparability between studies. A consensus on the reporting of complications proposed by a Danish team of researchers was applied, evaluated and found beneficial. OBJECTIVES: To report the surgical complications following cochlear implantation at our centre, applying and evaluating a proposed reporting consensus. METHODS: A retrospective file review of 308 consecutive adult implantations in 269 patients between 1994 and 2010 at Odense University Hospital was performed. RESULTS: The three most common major complications were wound infection (1.6%), permanent chorda tympani syndrome (1.6%) and electrode migration/misplacement/accidental removal (1.3%). Permanent facial nerve paresis occurred following one implantation (0.3%). Transient chorda tympani syndrome (30.8%), vertigo/dizziness (29.5%) and tinnitus (4.9%) were the most frequent minor complications.