A special device to retore hearing in profoundly deaf patients.
What is a Cochlear
Implant? A cochlear implant is an electronic device that
provides useful hearing to children with profound hearing loss and
adults with severe to profound hearing loss who do not understand
speech with conventional hearing aids. Cochlear implants bypass damaged
parts of the inner ear and send electrical signals directly to the
hearing nerve.
Who Can Benefit From a
Cochlear Implant? Candidates for a cochlear implant
include adults and children who meet the following criteria:
Adults: Post-linguistic
Severe-to-profound sensorineural
hearing loss ("nerve loss") in both ears.
Hearing loss acquired after leaming oral speech and language
Receive limited benefit from appropriate hearing aids
No medical
contraindications
Adults:
Pre-linguistic
Profound sensorineural hearing
loss in both ears
Hearing loss acquired before learning oral speech and language
Receive no benefit from hearing aids
No medical contraindications
Motivated to learn to hear
again
Children Profound
sensorineural hearing loss ("nerve loss") in both ears.
Age 18 months or older
Receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
No medical contraindications
High motivation and appropriate expectations for both child
and family:
Testing is required to determine if a
patient might benefit from a cochlear implant. The evaluation process
takes several visits and may include the following:
Complete diagnostic hearing
evaluation and examination by the ear doctor.
Hearing tests with the patient’s hearing aids on using recorded speech.
Electrical stimulation of the inner ear to ensure the hearing
nerve is able to be stimulated in this manner.
Completion of a CT scan which is an x-ray of the cochlea to evaluate their form and patency.
Psychological evaluation to discuss expectations or other factors that may affect performance.
Meet another cochlear implant patient to ask questions
(OPTIONAL).
The
cochlear implant consists of both internal and external components. The
internal components are those surgically implanted under the skin
behind the ear. The external components include the speech processor,
cable and headpiece.
How Does it
Work? Sound enters the system through the microphone
located in the headpiece and is converted into an electrical signal.
The signal is sent to the speech processor via cable that connects to
the headpiece. The speech processor converts the electrical signal into
a code. The electrically coded signal is sent back through the cable to
the headpiece and is transmitted across the skin via radio waves to the
implant. The implant decodes the signal and delivers it to the array of
electrodes positioned within the cochlea. The electrodes bypass the
damaged hair cells and directly stimulate the hearing nerve fibers in
the cochlea. Stimulation of the hearing nerve fibers causes electrical
impulses to be delivered to the brain where they are interpreted as
sound.
Additional Information For more information
regarding the different brands of Cochlear Implants visit Advanced Bionics, Cochlear,
or the Med
El website.
For additional information regarding cochlear please
e-mail Pittsburgh Ear
or call to make an appointment at
412.321.2480.
