Facial Nerve Stimulation After Cochlear Implantation:4Cases Report And Literature Review

Facial nerve stimulation is a well-known complication after cochlear implantation. Two hundred and thirty four patients with profound sensorineural deafness received cochlear implants in Department of Otolaryngology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January2004to December2011, with the post-surgery follow-up time between1to8years. Among the234patients,4of them developed facial nerve stimulation, leading to an incidence of1.7%. These4cases:1case of Waardenburg syndrome,1case of inner ear malformations and2cases of unknown etiology of deafness were reported and detailed explanations and literature review of the pathogenesis of facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation have been made in this article.