About

Oliver Adunka, MD, is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He specializes as a head and neck surgeon with a focus on hearing and balance impairments, offering personalized care and access to clinical trials and new treatment options. His primary interests include cochlear implant electrode development and hearing preservation in cochlear implantation, with a particular emphasis on monitoring strategies during electrode insertion using electrocochleography (ECochG) and electrophysiologic methods. Dr. Adunka's research aims to establish monitoring algorithms to improve cochlear implant outcomes, explore the utility of residual hearing in cochlear implant candidates, and enhance understanding of cochlear implantation in patients with single-sided deafness. He has developed technology to monitor inner ear function during implantation and is involved in clinical trials assessing cochlear implantation during vestibular schwannoma resection and in patients with residual hearing. His contributions include advancing techniques for hearing preservation, cochlear implant mapping, and performance prediction, with ongoing projects focused on intracochlear trauma, postoperative imaging, and electrophysiology in both adult and pediatric populations. Dr. Adunka is recognized for his leadership as Director of the Division of Otology/Neurotology and Cranial Base Surgery, and he has been included in the Best Doctors in America and Castle Connolly’s Regional Top Doctors list. He is also a board member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance and has received the Patient's Choice Award.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Computer Science
• Audiology
• Psychology
• Speech recognition
• Physics
• General surgery
• Surgery
• Acoustics
• Chemistry
• Neuroscience
• Biology

Selected publications

• Multilayer reconstruction technique for temporal bone dehiscence: a single-center experience with cadaveric illustrations

  Journal of neurosurgery · 2026-04-01

  article

  OBJECTIVE: Temporal bone dehiscence (TBD) can be asymptomatic or present complex symptoms depending on the location, integrity of the dura, and the tissue that is herniated. Common variations include tegmen dehiscence and superior semicircular canal dehiscence. Surgical treatment aims to repair communication between the middle/internal ear, mastoid, and intracranial compartments. The aim of this study was to describe a novel multilayer reconstruction technique for TBD, including cadaveric dissection emphasizing relevant surgical anatomy, and to evaluate postoperative outcomes in patients treated via the middle cranial fossa (MCF) approach. METHODS: Patients with TBD who underwent surgical repair through the MCF approach at a single institution between January 2016 and December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients (23 female, mean age 54 years; 4 patients treated bilaterally) who underwent 33 TBD repairs via the MCF approach were included in this analysis. Preoperative symptoms included hearing loss (86.2%), CSF otorrhea (62.1%), aural fullness (44.8%), pulsatile tinnitus (44.8%), and dizziness/vertigo (34.5%). Four patients had a prior idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) diagnosis. A multilayer reconstruction technique was used based on requisite reconstructive needs. In 24 procedures, encephaloceles were removed and the dural defect was repaired. Subjective symptomatic improvement was observed in 28 patients (96.6%). After surgery, lumbar puncture identified 9 additional patients with IIH, allowing prompt treatment and reducing recurrence risk. CONCLUSIONS: The MCF approach for TBD repair using a multilayer reconstruction technique yielded favorable outcomes, improving symptoms and reducing complications. Intracranial pressure should be monitored due to the potential association between TBD and IIH.

  PublisherDOI

• Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potentials

  2026-01-01

  book-chapter
  PublisherDOI

• Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss—Will the Price Be Right?

  JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery · 2025-03-06 · 4 citations

  article

  This Viewpoint examines questions about drug pricing, patient access, and fiscal sustainability of novel gene therapies for autosomal recessive deafness 9.

  PublisherDOI

• Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase‐9 Predicts Intraoperative Experience and Extent of Resection in Vestibular Schwannoma Surgery

  Otolaryngology · 2025-01-20 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive value of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) level in determining the extent of tumor resection (EOR) and tumor adherence in vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic referral center. METHODS: Plasma and tumor samples were prospectively collected from patients with nonradiated, sporadic VS undergoing microsurgical resection from July 2022 to June 2023. Plasma MMP-9 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and their association with tumor adherence and postoperative outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients undergoing microsurgical resection agreed to participate (15 females, median age 54 years old, median tumor size 26.7 mm). A gross total resection (GTR) was performed in 18 patients (55%), and a near-total (NTR)/subtotal resection (STR) in 15 (45%). Tumor size was not significantly different between the GTR and NTR/STR groups (20.7 vs 24.8 mm, P= .185). Intraoperatively, a larger fraction of NTR/STR tumors were highly adherent to the brainstem and/or cranial nerves (93% vs 56%, P = .015). Preoperative plasma MMP-9 was higher in patients who underwent an NTR/STR compared to a GTR (229.9 vs 131.2ng/mL, P = .007). On multivariable logistic regression, preoperative plasma MMP-9 strongly predicted EOR by receiver operating characteristic analysis (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.77 P = .008). Combining plasma MMP-9 and age was an excellent predictor of EOR (AUC = 0.91, P = .0001). CONCLUSION: Plasma MMP-9 levels strongly predicted intraoperative tumor adherence and postoperative extent of resection. This could provide crucial preoperative insights into surgical difficulty, potential complications, and the likelihood of gross total tumor removal, enhancing informed decision-making for both physicians/surgeons and patients.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Simultaneous Labyrinthectomy and Cochlear Implantation in Patients With Refractory Ménière’s Disease

  Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology · 2025-05-14 · 2 citations

  article

  Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of simultaneous labyrinthectomy and cochlear implantation (CI) in patients with refractory Ménière’s disease (MD). Methods: A retrospective review of patients with definite refractory MD per American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery treated via simultaneous transmastoid labyrinthectomy and CI was performed at a tertiary referral center. Patients’ clinical and audiometric outcomes were assessed and analyzed. Results: Twenty-four patients underwent simultaneous transmastoid labyrinthectomy and CI between 7/2015 and 9/2023 (median age = 58 years [interquartile range (IQR) = 43.5-64.5], 54% female). Complete resolution of vertigo occurred in 23 patients (96%). Evaluating available data at ≥6 months postoperatively, both CNC (n = 9; 36% vs 40%, P = .76) and AzBio scores (n = 13; 40% vs 62%, P = .15) improved after surgery. When performing a sound localization task with the CI on, the median score in identifying the noise was 32% (IQR = 22%-56%) with a median degree error of 27.9 (IQR = 15.8-38.0) versus a median score with the CI off of 20% (IQR = 14%-42%) with a median degree error of 43.8 (IQR = 21.9-73.5) at a median of 9.8 months (IQR = 6.7-14.6) from surgery. Conclusions: The present study represents one of the largest cohorts of refractory MD patients undergoing simultaneous labyrinthectomy and CI. Combining these procedures appears safe, enables excellent control of vertigo, and expedites aural rehabilitation in appropriately selected candidates, but future study is warranted to continue to evaluate this treatment paradigm.

  PublisherDOI

• Correction to: Cochlear Implantation in Children with Cochlear Nerve Deficiency

  2025-01-01

  book-chapterOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Principles of Subperineurial Dissection Technique: A Potential Balance between Cranial Nerve Preservation and Extent of Resection in Koos Grade IV Vestibular Schwannomas

  Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base · 2025-02-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Taiwan’s Gene Therapy Lessons—Balancing Innovation and Cost—Reply

  JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery · 2025-07-03

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Corrigendum: Outcomes of Extended Middle Fossa Approach for Petroclival Tumors in the Elderly

  Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base · 2025-12-17

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1055/a-2219-2551.].

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Isolated facial pain as the sole presentation of a type I branchial cleft cyst in an adult male

  American Journal of Otolaryngology · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  First branchial cleft cysts (FBCCs) are rare developmental anomalies that typically present in childhood. We report a unique case of a Type I FBCC in a 43-year-old male whose only symptom was isolated facial pain without infection or mass. Imaging and biopsies were inconclusive, prompting surgical excision for definitive diagnosis and symptomatic relief. Histopathology confirmed a branchial cleft anomaly. This case highlights the importance of including congenital anomalies in the differential diagnosis for atypical facial pain even in the adult population and underscores the value of a thorough and multi-disciplinary diagnostic workup.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ann Arbor

  Klinikum Saarbrücken

  402 shared

• Gabriel Dietz

  Advisory Board Company (United States)

  402 shared

• Dorina Kallogjeri

  Washington University in St. Louis

  402 shared

• New York

  New York Proton Center

  402 shared

• Annette Flanagin

  402 shared

• James Madara

  St. Louis County Missouri

  402 shared

• St Louis

  Walter de Gruyter (Germany)

  402 shared

• Karen Dodson

  Washington University in St. Louis

  402 shared

Awards & honors

• Included in Best Doctor's in America
• Patient's Choice Award
• Board of Directors, American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA…
• Castle Connolly's Regional Top Doctors list
• Best Doctor in America, 2017