Complex Surgical Conditions: Ossification and Dysplasia

I have severe ossifications in my both ears which was caused by meningitis. Left ear seems to be completely solid and my right ear is partly ossified. So that's why my surgeon chose my right ear to implant. It was about 80% of electrodes implanted into my right cochlea.

So here's interesting info from University of Miami School of Medience:

Cochlear implant surgery is usually a routine procedure taking one to two hours under general anesthesia as an outpatient. However, when the fluid spaces of the cochlea are partially or totally filled with abnormal bone, or when the cochlea or other structures are not formed properly, cochlear implantation is more complex.

The cochlea may fill with bone in response to inner ear infection, meningitis, auto-immune inner ear disease, ototoxicity, and other conditions. It is called ‘labyrinthitis ossificans’ and can be diagnosed by CT or MRI. Surgical techniques have evolved that allow cochlear implantation even in such cases. When the cochlea is only partly obstructed, surgery is usually straightforward and results are very good. When the cochlea is completely filled with bone, surgery is still possible but is more complex and results are variable.

The same is true of inner ear malformation, usually called ‘dysplasia’. Milder forms of dysplasia such as enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) and Mondini syndrome require surgery that is straightforward and have excellent results. However, severe dysplasia, such as common cavity deformity, requires more complex surgery and results are variable.

Source: UMSM's Cochlear Implant Center

Here's my ct-scan image of my right and left ears. You will see solid whites which is an ossification. In the right cochlea, you will see little grayish hole in there. It means very little space for the electrodes to be inserted. My surgeon said that ct-scans is not perfect image of what's really there... it may be more or less space to insert. (image to be posted soon)