Cochlear Implant Evaluation -- Promontory Stimulation Test

[Eric Smith]

Does anyone reading this know anything about the promontory
stimulation test?

In addition to wanting general information about it, I also have
some specific questions about it:

1. If the test causes a poking sensation, as if someone were poking
   something inside the ear canal, does that imply that a cochlear
   implant would cause the same sensation?  The poking sensation
   was directly associated with the signal.  That is, the sensation
   of sound and the sensation of poking would happen simultaneously.

2. What is the significance of "adaptation?"

3. What is the significance of not being able to reach uncomfortable
   loudness?  In other words, the UCL is beyond the maximum of the
   machine.  Does that imply that there might be a loose connection
   or something?  Or is it common?

   In this particular case, the poking sensation was in one ear and the
   lack of UCL was in the other.  The poking sensation itself was the
   limiting factor in ear it happened in.  In the ear without UCL, the
   loudest signal did sound loud, just not uncomfortably loud.

4. Why would the test cause a distortion of the sense of balance?
   Can the local anesthesia cause that, or would it more likely be
   caused by the signal stimulating the wrong nerves?  The effect
   lasted for about an hour after the test was over, and caused
   seasickness, which gradually got worse during that hour, even
   though the effect itself didn't get worse.