Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Patients with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis

Abstract

Establish outcomes following cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome (JLNS). Methods Systematic review and narrative synthesis. Databases searched on Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Collection and ClinicalTrials.gov. No limits placed on language or year of publication. Review conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Searches identified 63 abstracts and 19 full texts. Of these, 9 studies met inclusion criteria reporting outcomes in 66 patients with at least 72 implants. Hearing outcomes were generally good. Mortality secondary to cardiac complications within the follow up period occurred in at least five cases (7.6%), though three of these were thought to be unrelated to surgery. Potentially dangerous arrhythmias without associated morbidity were also noted in at least five patients. The methodological quality of included studies was modest, predominantly consisting of case reports and non-controlled case series with small numbers of patients. All studies were OCEBM grade IV. One study contributed 41/66 patients (62%). Hearing outcomes following CI in JLNS are generally good with the majority of patients experiencing useful hearing improvement. Significant peri-operative cardiac risks exist and should be discussed with the patient and family during pre-operative counselling and prompt thorough investigation, pre-operative optimisation and peri-operative monitoring.

Figure 1

Prisma flow diagram.