Keywords: sensoryneural profound hearing loss, cochlear implant

Abstract: The cochlear implant has been indicated as the standard treatment for patients suffering of profound bilateral sensoryneural hearing loss who obtain little or no benefit from sound amplification devices. Subjects are selected for the implant procedure on the basis of medical, audiological and psychological criteria. Although the judicious selection of the patients for implant, the possibility of failure or surgical complications still exists. This paper reviews the major risks of cochlear implant, emphasizing the supposed mechanisms of injury.