Successful implantation of a cochlear implant in a four-yr-old boy after kidney transplantation: a case report

Pediatr Transplant. 2009 Nov;13(7):933-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3046.2008.01090.x. Epub 2008 Nov 10.

Abstract

Sensorineural hearing loss is common in children with chronic renal insufficiency. The implantation of a CI is performed routinely in children with profound sensorineural hearing loss. A feared complication is a local infection with subsequent meningitis. Because of this risk, a successful implantation of a CI in children under immunosuppression after kidney transplantation has yet to be described. A four-yr-old boy with congenital renal dysplasia and posterior urethral valves, who was successfully transplanted with a kidney from his father at the age of two and a half yr, is presented. The boy had profound bilateral hearing loss before transplantation, most likely due to ototoxic antibiotic medication and long-term furosemide use. A hearing aid was insufficient; therefore, a CI was performed 20 months after the transplantation and no complications occurred in the 24 months of follow-up. This is the first report of a successful CI in a child after kidney transplantation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Audiometry
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cochlear Implantation / methods*
  • Cochlear Implants*
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / complications
  • Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / complications
  • Kidney Failure, Chronic / therapy*
  • Kidney Transplantation / methods*
  • Male
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents