Objective-Determine the risk posed by cochlear implantation (CI) to the labyrinth.Study Design-Prospective cohort study. Setting-Academic tertiary referral center.Patients-Thirty-six ears belonging to 35 adult CI candidates (mean: 46, range: 23-69 years old). Intervention-Cochlear implantation.Main Outcome Measures-Vestibular function was assessed using the quantitative 3D head impulse test (qHIT), clinical head impulse test (cHIT), post-headshake nystagmus (HSN), caloric electronystagmography (ENG), vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), dynamic visual acuity (DVA), and Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI).Results-All 36 ears were tested using qHIT before CI, and 28 ears were tested 4-8 weeks after CI. Quantitative HIT showed 1/28 of ears suffered reduced function. Clinical HIT was 44% sensitive and 94% specific for identification of severe-to-profound vestibular hypofunction confirmed by qHIT. HSN was unchanged in 11/11 subjects. New hyporeflexia was found in 1/16 of ENG-tested ears. VEMP showed either a disappearance of response or an increase in threshold by >10dB in 5/16 ears. Passive DVA showed no change in 16/16 ears. DHI scores worsened in 3/28 and improved in 4/28 subjects.Conclusions-Although small, the observed rate of labyrinthine injury was comparable to that for other risks of CI. Thus, it is important to educate CI candidates about possible risk to balance function, particularly when CI of an "only balancing ear" is contemplated. Clinical HIT is useful for detecting severe high-frequency vestibular hypofunction and should be part of the pre-CI physical examination.

Bilateral loss of vestibular sensation causes difficulty maintaining stable vision, posture and gait. An implantable prosthesis that partly restores normal activity on branches of the vestibular nerve should improve quality of life for individuals disabled by this disorder. We have developed a head-mounted multichannel vestibular prosthesis that restores sufficient semicircular canal function to partially recreate a normal 3-dimensional angular vestibulo-ocular reflex in animals. Here we describe several parallel lines of investigation directed toward refinement of this approach toward eventual clinical application.