Evren Hizal
Prof. Evren Hizal, MD, PhD, FEBORL-HNS is an otologist–neurotologist and ENT surgeon from Türkiye, with academic interests in vestibular disorders, otology, neurotology, and audiology. He serves as Secretary of the Otology & Neurotology Scientific Committee for the XXIII IFOS World Congress 2026 in Istanbul. His work focuses on vestibular physiology, balance disorders, and clinical outcomes in otologic surgery. Prof. Hizal is actively involved in international scientific collaboration, graduate and postgraduate education, and peer-reviewed research in otorhinolaryngology.
Sessions
An instructional course on tinnitus
Infectious still represent one of the leading non-genetic causes of childhood deafness.
For this reason, screening prevention campaigns for infections during pregnancy are in place in various countries and vaccination campaigns have played a significant role in prevention, as new pharmacological therapeutic approaches administered to infected mothers. Over the years, this has absolutely led to better control of infections and, consequently, better management of the impact on the hearing function.
Despite this, an uneven distribution of these risk factors across the world remains high today.
The treatment of virus-induced hearing loss faces several obstacles, probably because of different biofunctions and tropisms that each virus exploits that result in hearing loss.
Furthermore, temporary or permanent molecular effects of many other viruses on the auditory system have remained elusive both in adults and infants.
Some viruses rarely manifest as obvious congenital infections but might be capable of disturbing the embryonic or fetal development if they can cross the placental barrier during early pregnancy.
The exact mechanisms by which viruses cause hearing loss is still not clearly identified at molecular level.
Determining commonalities and differences in such molecular mechanisms helps to develop better therapies against viruses triggering hearing loss.
Hearing loss caused by these agents can occur in a variety of ways, being unilateral or bilateral, stable or progressive, and of varying degrees. There are also a number of late onset cases of hearing loss occuring during the early years of life and this underlines the importance of a continued surveillance.
Abstract:
purpose: in revisions and in patients with unusual cochlear duct anatomy, optimal CI electrode insertion is the goal to secure patient performance. Verification of placement should be done at surgery.
methods: retrospective review of all CI cases in our center between january 1, 2023 and october 15, 2025. Of 131 cases, 6 were revisions for device malfunction, 3 for delayed infection, 3 for intracochlear schwannoma, 4 for basal turn ossification, and two for unexpected cochlear duct soft tissue obstruction. Depth of insertion, wound complications, facial nerve stimulation, balance issues, and comparison to prior performance was analyzed.
results: 18 (13.7%) patients met criteria for 22-month study period. 5/6 re-implants for device failure achieved full insertion. 1 was inserted to 16/22 electrodes. Removal of the receiver stimulator while leaving the electrode, 6 weeks of culture specific antibiotics, and re-implantation was successfully achieved in 3/3 cases of delayed implant site infection. 2/3 with intracochlear schwannomas had full insertion. 1 had partial insertion. 3/4 with basal turn ossification had full insertion with a drill-through technique. 1 case had a partial insertion. 2/2 patients with unexpected soft tissue obstruction of the basal turn obtained full insertion, 1 was concurrently treated for a round window gusher. All 21 patients in this cohort are full time CI users with average follow-up of 15 months.
conclusions: electrode selection and verification of placement are essential components to optimize patient performance in this challenging population. Smartnav estimates both electrode position without a radiograph and provides starting programming parameters in this population.