Subtotal petrosectomy and cochlear implantation

SUMMARY Objective. The objective of this study is to analyse surgical outcomes in a series of patients who underwent subtotal petrosectomy in combination with cochlear implantation. Methods. Retrospective chart review. Thirty patients (32 ears) underwent subtotal petrosectomy and cochlear implantation in one stage. Indications for subtotal petrosectomy included the following: cholesteatoma, chronic otitis media, previous canal wall-down, osteoradionecrosis, revision surgery for clinical reasons, inner ear malformations, middle ear anatomical variations and severe cochlear ossification. Results. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 54 months. Only 2 complications related to the subtotal petrosectomy (1 subcutaneous abdominal haematoma and 1 subcutaneous abdominal seroma) occurred in this series. Complete electrode insertion was achieved in all but 4 cases. Conclusions. Subtotal petrosectomy is a safe procedure and can offer technical advantages in some cases of complex cochlear implantation.