Is mastoidectomy indispensable in cochlear implant surgery?
Using a nonmastoidectomy approach, such as the SMA, provides a wide exposure of the middle ear and promontory and thus enables a well-controlled cochleostomy site and safe insertion of the electrode into the cochlea. Mastoidectomy in CI surgery is not indispensable; it may cause more disadvantages than advantages.
The number, not the location, of positive regional lymph nodes independently affects long-term survival after resection in patients with ampullary carcinoma.