Prospective evaluation of Intraoperative cochlear implant radiographs

Objective: To investigate the clinical utility of intraoperative plain radiographs in cochlear implant surgery. Study Design: Prospective. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Eighty consecutive adult and pediatric cochlear implant operations at a facility capable of intraoperative radiographs were evaluated over 12 months. Interventions: Intraoperative plain radiographs to assess implant location and surgeon questionnaire. Main Outcome Measures: Plain radiographic image interpretation and surgeon questionnaire. Results: In one revision surgery, the intraoperative plain ra-diograph was useful for confirming the cochleostomy site. In the remaining 79 operations, no changes in the electrode arrays were made on the basis of the information provided by intra-operative plain radiographs. Conclusions: In this cohort, intraoperative plain radiographs were not useful for uncomplicated implant operations; however, they may be useful for complicated operations. These results may have implications for surgical cost and patient radiation exposure.