A cochlear implant is the only commonly used electronic human sense prosthesis, and implantation is a safe method of hearing restoration. Thanks to it, deaf and deaf people can hear again. Who is eligible for a cochlear implant? How is the operation going? What is bilateral implantation?

A cochlear implantis an advanced electronic device consisting of an external part (a sound processor that processes audible ambient sounds) and an internal part, i.e. electrodes inserted into the cochlea. A cochlear implant enables the rehabilitation of a person with profound sensorineural hearing loss. The patient gains not physiological hearing, but hearing similar to him in quality.

Who does a cochlear implant help? Indications for implantation

Implantation helps many patients. The first group includes infants and young children whose hearing impairment was diagnosed thanks to screening tests performed in the first days of life. The second group consists of patients who have lost their hearing as a result of an injury or post-comorbid complications. The third one is older people, usually between 60 and 70 years of age (in this case, implantation is used when the hearing aid does not fulfill its function).

Cochlear implant and hearing aid

The cochlear implant system is not a competition for a hearing aid, but the only opportunity for those who are not helped by the hearing aid. It is about a situation in which profound hearing impairments in the inner ear prevent the sound from being properly processed into electrical impulses transmitted to the brain (even if it is sound amplified by the hearing aid). In such situations, the only chance is to stimulate the cochlea directly with the implant.

How does a cochlear implant change patients' lives?

The advantages of using implants in patients with deafness or partial hearing loss cannot be overestimated. Little patients learn, play and develop together with their peers. People who have regained their hearing thanks to implantation go out to people again, enjoying life in society and normal work.

What is the importance of fast implant placement in very young children?

Scientists point out thatearly implantation stimulates the brain faster and shapes the auditory system. Thanks to this, it is possible to fully rehabilitate and achieve the level of communication of children with he althy hearing.

What is bilateral implantation? The benefits of binaural hearing

At the beginning of the implantation, a one-sided implant was used, which allowed the patient to hear acoustic information coming from the outside. With time, however, scientists, also using the experience of people using implants, came to the conclusion that the fact of bilateral hearing is very important, which gave rise to the initiative of implanting implants in both ears.

The main advantage of this treatment method is the ability to locate the object being heard. The patient no longer has difficulty following the conversation in noise. It is also important to ensure safety (a person with two implants has a better orientation in space and knows what is happening around him). The use of binaural implants also helps in learning to speak and read.

When should the child receive the second implant?

A child qualified for bilateral implant surgery is operated on in two stages. The shorter the interval between operations, the better the results. Time works to our disadvantage here, because the central auditory system requires training in the early years of life for effective development. When not enough stimuli reach one ear, that ear loses its ability to analyze sounds. Studies show that the best time between operations is 1 to 3.5 years. Excellent results and progress in the child's development are then observed.

Bilateral implants in the world and in Poland

Currently, the implantation of binaural implants is a standard in the world, reimbursed by the state.

In Poland, bilateral implantation is used in some cases - as clearly indicated by the attending physician. According to doctors and scientists dealing with this subject - adopting the standard of common bilateral implants (following the example of other countries) would be the optimal solution from the point of view of patients' well-being.

Cochlear implant placement in Kajetany

Fragment of the series "Operating Room", in which prof. Henryk Skarżyński from the World Hearing Center in Kajetany performs an extremely difficult cochlear implant surgery in a child with partial deafness.

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