Intracranial complications of cochlear implantation

To describe intracranial complications after cochlear implantation in the pediatric and adult populations. Retrospective chart review. Tertiary referral center. A chart review of the intracranial complications and their management in 345 patients undergoing cochlear implantation was undertaken. Variables, including age, sex, implant manufacturer, cause of deafness, intraoperative findings, and postoperative complications, were collected and analyzed. Presence of intracranial complication of cochlear implantation. There were 134 Nucleus-22 (Cochlear, Englewood, CO) devices, 50 Nucleus-24 devices, 118 Med-El (Durham, NC) devices, and 43 Advanced Bionics Corporation (Sylmar, CA) devices in 151 adults and 194 children. There was a 9.3% overall complication rate, with most (59%) being related to device failure. There were three intracranial complications (