There are 5 special senses that a human body possesses which include hearing, taste, vision, touch and smell. Amongst these hearing is the only sense which even if absent since birth or lost due to any reason, can now be reinstated by surgery.A Cochlear Implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf. Cochlear implants are often called bionic ears.Cochlear Implants may be considered in patients who present with profound sensorineuralhearing loss. Usually they are advised to undergo hearing aid trial with regular speech therapy. Only in those patients who do not benefit with hearing aids is cochlear implant considered.Cochlear Implants may be considered in all patients above 12months of age. No upper limit of age. In children with deafness since birth, good results are seen if surgery is done below 5years of age and optimal results are seen if implantation is done within first 10years of age though the age group can vary.Bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss can be due to damage to cochlea or inner hair cells in cochlea. Many a times the cochlear nerve is normal. In such patients the cochlear implant is inserted in the cochlea which directly stimulates the cochlear nerve.Unlike hearing aids which merely amplify the sound, cochlear implants simulates the natural way of hearing.Newer devices and processing-strategies allow recipients to hear better in noise, enjoy music, and even use their implant processors while swimming. Implants make speech discrimination easier. Patients have better communication skills and educational quality, better professional opportunities like any other normal person.
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.
Children 12 months of age or older with profound hearing loss in both ears are usually excellent candidates, but not every child is eligible.
18 years or older and Moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears.
Patients referred for further audiological assessment are all post-lingually deafened adults with bilateral hearing
Pre-implant preparation requires objective assessment of hearing, plain X-rays of skull and a CT scan and MRI of the temporal bone.
Cochlear Implant surgery usually takes from three to four hours. During the operation, a small incision is made behind the ear and the internal device (called the receiver stimulator) is placed under the skin and is secured to your child's skull.
A cochlear implant converts sound into electrical signals that can be interpreted by the brain.
Introduction Neural response telemetry (NRT) is a method of capturing the action potential of the distal portion of the auditory nerve in cochlear implant (CI) users, using the CI itself to elicit and record the answers
post-operative complications such as nausea, vomiting and vertigo.