Abstract
Most patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) lose hearing either spontaneously or after removal of their neurofibromas. The patient may benefit from conventional hearing aids if, due to modern microsurgery and intraoperative monitoring the integrity of the cochlea and the 8th nerve is preserved. With lost auditory function but preserved electrical stimulability of the 8th nerve a cochlear implant may be appropriate. But if the patients have no remaining 8th nerve to stimulate, there is no benefit from cochlear implants. Until some years ago, vibrotactile aids, lip-reading, and sign language have been the only communication modes available to these patients.
With auditory brain stem implants it is now possible to bypass both the cochlea and the 8th nerve and to stimulate the cochlear nucleus directly. Stimulation of the devices produces useful auditory sensations in almost all patients. Testing of perceptual performance indicated significant benefit from the device for communication purposes, including sound-only sentence recognition scores and the ability to converse on the telephone. Also lip-reading is significantly improved with brain stem implants. The successful work of an auditory brainstem program center depends very much on the close interdisciplinary collaboration between the Departments of Neurosurgery and ENT-surgery. In the future new developments like speech processing strategies and new designed electrodes accessing the complex tonotopic organization of the cochlear nucleus may further improve rehabilitation in these patients who would have been deaf some years ago.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Otto SR, Shannon RV, Brackmann DE (1998) The multichannel auditory brainstem implant (ABI): results in 20 patients. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 118: 291–303
Shannon RV, Fayad J, Moore J, Lo W, O’Leary M, Otto S, Nelson R (1993) Auditory brainstem implant: 2. postsurgical issues and performance. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 108: 634642
Staller S, Otto SR, Menapace SR (1995) Clinical trials of the auditory brainstem implant. Audio Today 7: 9–12
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer-Verlag Wien
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kuchta, J., Behr, R., Walger, M., Michel, O., Klug, N. (2002). Rehabilitation of Hearing and Communication Functions in Patients with NF2. In: von Wild, K.R.H. (eds) Functional Rehabilitation in Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology. Acta Neurochirurgica Supplements, vol 79. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6105-0_24
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6105-0_24
Publisher Name: Springer, Vienna
Print ISBN: 978-3-7091-7283-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-7091-6105-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive