A case report: the first successful cochlear implant in Uganda

Hearing impairment is a significant disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of the world's approximately 120 million people with hearing impairment live in developing countries. Cochlear implant is the only therapeutic intervention for those with severe-profo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:African health sciences 2015-12, Vol.15 (4), p.1342-1348
Main Authors: Byaruhanga, Richard, Roland Jr., J. Thomas, Buname, Gustav, Kakande, Emily, Awubwa, Michael, Ndorelire, Chris, Namwagala, Justine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anatomy & physiology
Audiometry, Pure-Tone
Case studies
Cochlear implant
Cochlear Implantation - methods
Cochlear Implants
Deafness
Hearing impairment
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - diagnosis
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural - surgery
Humans
Male
Surgery
Therapy
Transplants & implants
Treatment Outcome
Uganda
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Summary:Hearing impairment is a significant disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 80% of the world's approximately 120 million people with hearing impairment live in developing countries. Cochlear implant is the only therapeutic intervention for those with severe-profound sensorineural hearing loss. We are reporting an interesting case of the very first cochlear implant operation carried out in Uganda. The patient was a 23 year old male whose presenting complaint was inability to hear in the left ear for three and a half years and in the right ear for one year. He had been treated for TB(Tuberculosis) mastoiditis . After the 8 months of treatment, the otorrhea persisted and he underwent a tympanomastoidectomy on the same ear. He reported no familial history of hearing loss. On examination, ENT examination revealed a small pars flaccida retration pocket of the right tympanic membrane with cholesteatoma. The left ear had an intact tympanic membrane. Pure tone audiometry revealed profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears( see attached PTA results), CT scan of the temporal bone showed normal inner ear anatomy bilaterally and mild sclerotic changes in both mastoid bones. He then had surgery on his right ear which included cochlear implantation. The cochlear implant (CI) was activated on the first postoperative day remotely via internet with the help of the cochlear implant team at New York University Cochlear Implant Center and the patient was immediately able to appreciate some sounds. He received a pneumococcal vaccine on the first postoperative day and was discharged the following day.
ISSN:1680-6905
1729-0503
1680-6905
DOI:10.4314/ahs.v15i4.38