Cochlear implantation in Branchiootorenal syndrome - case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION: Branchiootorenal syndrome (BOR) manifests with branchial fistulae, otological anomalies and renal dysplasia. Management remains largely symptomatic. The most common consequence of BOR is mild-to-profound sensorineural, conductive or mixed hearing loss, where conventional hearing aids (HA) provide limited benefit. Cochlear implantation for BOR-associated hearing loss is an emerging treatment. Existing literature remains limited, centring around paediatric cases.

OBJECTIVES: This paper is the first to present a case of an adult/non-paediatric BOR patient receiving bilateral cochlear implants (CI), including pre- and postoperative objective and subjective hearing outcomes. Additionally, an overview of reported cases of cochlear implantation in BOR/BO patients is given.

METHODS: A review of the case patient's medical charts from initial visit at our tertiary center to latest follow-up was conducted. A search of the Medline database resulted in four papers on cochlear implantation in BOR/BO patients, forming the basis of a literature review on this topic.

RESULTS: Excellent hearing outcomes were achieved after bilateral CI despite the patient's inner ear malformation.

DISCUSSION: The case patient's outcomes were comparable to results reported for unselected adult, non-syndromic CI-recipients with normal inner ear anatomy.

CONCLUSION: BOR patients experiencing insufficient benefit from conventional HA should be considered for cochlear implantation.