Question:

Where is the placement location for an auditory brainstem implant?

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The ABI must reach the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Scala tympani
  • Recess of the 4th ventricle
  • Internal auditory canal (IAC)
  • Back of the ear
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand the device. An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) restores hearing by directly stimulating the cochlear nucleus, bypassing a damaged or absent cochlear nerve.

Step 2: Recall the indications. ABIs are useful in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) whose cochlear nerves are lost during tumour resection, and in congenitally deaf children with cochlear malformations or cochlear nerve deficiency.

Step 3: Identify the placement. The electrode is positioned in the lateral recess of the fourth ventricle, usually at the time of tumour resection, so that it can stimulate the cochlear nucleus.

Step 4: Why the distractors are wrong. The scala tympani is where a cochlear implant electrode sits, the IAC carries the nerve but is not the ABI target, and behind the ear is where the external processor lies, not the stimulating electrode.
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