A 10-year-old boy from the Lviv region who lost his hearing due to bacterial meningitis has had his ability to hear restored by ENT specialists at the Paediatric Medicine Centre thanks to cochlear implantation.
The child, named Oleksandr, initially had symptoms resembling a common infection: a high temperature of up to 39.6°C, which later went down. However, he soon developed a severe headache, disorientation and impaired consciousness, after which the boy was urgently admitted to an infectious diseases hospital.
After several weeks of treatment, Oleksandr’s condition began to improve, but it turned out that he had stopped hearing. Examinations confirmed an almost complete loss of hearing in both ears as a result of complications after meningitis. The boy’s mother, Tetiana, said that at first they hoped his hearing would recover on its own, but this did not happen.
According to paediatric otolaryngologist and head of the Paediatric Otolaryngology Clinic Fedor Yurochko, hearing loss is one of the most serious complications of bacterial meningitis and can determine the child’s entire future life. The doctor stresses that around 10% of children after bacterial meningitis may lose their hearing, and the affected inner ear gradually ossifies, meaning that hearing restoration becomes impossible even with implantation. It is therefore important to act quickly, as there is only a limited “window of opportunity” for intervention.
After consultations and examinations, the team of specialists decided to carry out cochlear implantation. The operation was successfully performed by Fedor Yurochko: first, an implant was placed in one of Oleksandr’s ears, and a few months later in the other. The external part of the system has already been connected, the boy is undergoing rehabilitation, and as soon as the first implant was activated he immediately heard sounds.
Since before meningitis Oleksandr could hear and speak well, the results after activation of the implants were very good. The boy’s mother noted that the family is grateful to the doctors and is delighted that the necessary treatment and implants were available in Lviv, without the need to travel to other cities.
A large multidisciplinary team worked to save the child’s hearing: otolaryngologists, infectious disease specialists, audiologists and anaesthetists. Among them were the head of the Paediatric Otolaryngology Clinic, Fedor Yurochko, and doctors Arsen Dumych, Vitalii Kruk and Roksolana Kutnevych. Thanks to their well-coordinated work, Oleksandr can once again hear the world around him.