Abstract
We discuss the diagnostic value of nuclear scintigraphy in the management of infections after cochlear implantation. A 56-year-old female (Case 1) and a 46-year-old female (Case 2) developed complaints of diffuse headache, 4 and 5 months after cochlear implantation, without other signs of infection during examination, laboratorial testing and initial computed tomography. In Case 1 we performed a technetium 99 m-difosfate scintigraphy, which showed an increased uptake in the right petrosal bone, suggestive of chronic osteomyelitis. This case failed conservative treatment and underwent complete explantation, after which 67gallium-citrate single-photon emission computed tomography normalized during follow-up. In Case 2 inflammation at the site of the cochlear implant was confirmed by performing a positron emission tomography scan, which showed an increased uptake. Case 2 was treated successfully with antibiotics. Both have no signs of recurrent infection. Nuclear scintigraphy can be the single valuable tool in case of a late low-grade infection after cochlear implantation. Delayed low-grade chronic osteomyelitis of the petrosal bone is a rare but dramatic complication after cochlear implantation. It can develop with minimal signs of infection.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 895-899 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology |
| Volume | 263 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2006 |
Keywords
- Cochlear implant
- Complications
- Infection
- Nuclear scintigraphy
- Osteomyelitis
- Pseudomonas