@article{ref1,
title="Balance control during stance and gait after cochlear implant surgery",
journal="Audiology and neurotology",
year="2018",
author="Stieger, Christof and Siemens, Xenia and Honegger, Flurin and Roushan, Kourosh and Bodmer, Daniel and Allum, John",
volume="23",
number="3",
pages="165-172",
abstract="BACKGROUND: After cochlear implant (CI) surgery, some patients experience vertigo, dizziness and/or deficits in vestibulo-ocular reflexes. However, little is known about the effect of CI surgery on balance control. Therefore, we examined differences in stance and gait balance control before versus after CI surgery. <br><br>METHODS: Balance control of 30 CI patients (mean age 59, SD 15.4 years), receiving a first unilateral CI surgery, was measured preoperatively and postoperatively 1 month after the initial implant stimulation (2 months after surgery). Trunk sway was measured during 14 stance and gait tests using an angular-velocity system mounted at lumbar vertebrae 1-3. <br><br>RESULTS: For pre- versus postoperative comparisons across all 30 patients, a nonsignificant worsening in balance control was observed. Significant changes were, however, found within subgroups. Patients younger than 60 years of age had a significant worsening of an overall balance control index (BCI) after CI surgery (p = 0.008), as did patients with a normal BCI preoperatively (p = 0.005). Gait task measures comprising the BCI followed a similar pattern, but stance control was unchanged. In contrast, patients over 60 years or with a pathological BCI preoperatively showed improved tandem walking postoperatively (p = 0.0235). <br><br>CONCLUSION: Across all CI patients, CI surgery has a minor effect on balance control 2 months postoperatively. However, for patients younger than 60 years and those with normal balance control preoperatively, balance control worsened for gait indicating the need for preoperative counseling.<br><br>© 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1420-3030",
doi="10.1159/000492524",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000492524"
}