Successful rehabilitation with cochlear implant in post-irradiation induced hearing loss in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient.

INTRODUCTION We report a case of successful rehabilitation of hearing with a cochlear implant in a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who developed post-irradiation hearing loss following treatment. CLINICAL PICTURE A 55-year-old Chinese lady suffered from radiation-induced sensorineural hearing loss due to treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Audiological tests and imaging studies showed an intact retrocochlear pathway. TREATMENT Cochlear implantation. OUTCOME Cochlear implant was done with successful rehabilitation of hearing until the time of this report. CONCLUSIONS If functionally active auditory fibres survive with no recurrent tumour, successful rehabilitation of post-irradiation induced sensorineural hearing loss is possible with a cochlear implant in a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.