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Hearing loss affects more and more people, making everyday life difficult for them. Modern technology makes it possible to restore good hearing in almost every case. So let's decide on a hearing aid or surgery, as it will ensure a return to the world of sounds …

Treatment of hearing lossis necessary if we want to ensure a normal life for the patient. Advances in otosurgery and ENT have created new treatment options for people who are hard of hearing, and even those with partialdeafness . But the recovery ofhearingstill depends on how soon treatment begins.

How we lose our hearing

Professionals increasingly find congenitalhearing impairment . We inherit some of them from our ancestors, others are related to the course of pregnancy. The greatest threat to a developing hearing organ in a fetus is female rubella. A child may also be born with a hearing impairment if the mother takes antibiotics and salicylate medications (e.g. aspirin) during pregnancy. But the causes of hearing loss or deafness can also be caused by perinatal injuries, prematurity or jaundice. In early childhood, poor hearing may be caused by an overgrowth of the adenoid, pressing against the mouths of the Eustachian tubes. As a result, the proper amount of air does not reach the trumpets, and the secretion formed in them cannot escape and the child develops otitis exudate. The eardrum loses its elasticity and becomes damaged. From the exfoliating epidermis due to hypoxia, cholesteatoma is formed - a benign nodule that destroys the inner ear. In older children, deafness can be caused by infectious diseases (e.g. herpes, chickenpox, mumps, rubella, measles) and recurring infections of the upper respiratory tract. Untreated or poorly treated ear diseases, inflammation of the sinuses, throat and larynx can seriously impair hearing. The number of people who are losing their hearing due to noise is growing at an alarming rate. The noise that haunts the ears leads to micro-injuries of the ossicles. These, defending themselves against damage, grow overgrown with additional cartilage and stop moving. So they cannot transmit the sound wave to the brain.

When is it better to have hearing restoration surgery

The hearing impaired child or adult can be equipped with a hearing aid. But in some cases it's betterdecide to operate.

  • Middle ear defects, e.g. eardrum or ossicles - in this case, the missing or damaged part is reconstructed using "material" taken from the patient, artificial or by implanting a device in the ear that will replace the defective element in transmitting waves sound to the brain. When this is not enough or the baby is deaf from birth, a cochlear implant is essential.
  • Ear effusions must be removed by a surgeon, they will not go away on their own. Do not delay the procedure, because hearing loss caused by the accumulation of secretions may turn into complete deafness (when the secretion hardens or the ear canals become atresia). But even with such neglect, not all is lost. The ear has a residual ability to process sounds, which can be amplified with an appropriate electronic device or with a miniature hearing aid implanted in the ear.
  • Hearing loss or deafness caused by excessive noise - you can also have a hearing aid implanted in the middle ear here.
  • Distorted or damaged on both sides auditory nerve - it is necessary to insert the implant into the brainstem. Thanks to a miniature electrode, an electrical impulse can be delivered to the nuclei of the auditory nerve (in the brain), which will be picked up and recognized by the cerebral cortex as sound.
  • Diseases caused by damage to the inner ear - then also implantation of cochlear implants. Thanks to this, the child develops speech. When he cannot hear himself or the voices around him, this is impossible.
  • Hearing only low sounds - people with this condition cannot understand speech. But here too, technology comes in handy. The hearing aid placed outside is connected to the implant placed in the ear.
  • Congenital lesions or deformities of the outer ear or ear canals - make it impossible to understand speech, although the inner ear is usually well developed and could perceive all sounds. Then (if a repair operation cannot be performed), a titanium implant is implanted in the skull bone, which transmits signals from the outside world in the form of an electrical impulse. In addition, a hearing aid over the outer ear allows you to fully understand speech. A hard of hearing or deaf child should be operated on between 18 and 24 months of age. In the elderly, the following rule applies: the earlier the treatment is started, the less intellectual and emotional losses will be, and the faster recovery will be.
Important

Every sixth school-age child has hearing problems. They are first and foremostthe consequences of infections of the upper respiratory tract. Annually, more than 300 newborns are diagnosed with a congenital hearing impairment.

About 100 people lose their hearing a year as a result of various accidents.

In Poland, 80 percent hearing impaired people do not wear hearing aids. Some people feel bad with them, others cannot afford them.

Rehabilitation after hearing surgery

Rehabilitation is necessary after each operation to restore hearing. It lasts many months, sometimes even years. Specialist care of phoniatrists, speech therapists and ENT specialists is extremely important, but it will not replace daily training. At home, it is much easier to teach a child new words, understand sounds (doorbell, car engine whirring, hammer knocking). A return to the world of sounds depends on everyday work.

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.

You must do it

Go to the doctor immediately with your child when:

  • The baby does not react to noise, mum's voice does not chat.
  • An older child turns his head and listens with only one ear.
  • The sick person speaks loudly.
  • Sits down near the TV or radio.
  • He has a gaping look, he walks around with his mouth open.
  • He often has a stuffy nose, he snores at night and speaks through his nose.
  • He reacts immediately to questions once, and not at all. Check if your child's reaction depends on which side you are on.
  • Perfectly moves and copes with familiar surroundings. Understands parents and siblings. When away from home, he loses orientation and cannot get along with his peers.

Cochlear Implant

The device is an electronic prosthesis intended to replace inactive cells in the inner ear. A cochlear implant consists of a part that is permanently placed under the skin near the temple and electrodes that run from the implant to the inner ear, i.e. the cochlea. An integral part of the kit is the sound processor, which is placed outside the ear. Sounds from the environment reach it, are properly coded and transformed into electrical impulses. Then transmitted to the part implanted under the skin. The cochlear implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve, creating an auditory sensation. It guarantees full ability to communicate with the environment.

The National He alth Fund finances the cost of the operation and the hearing aid: adults - PLN 560, children - PLN 1,500. A modern hearing aid costs about 20 thousand. PLN, and the cochlear implant (1 set) - approx. 70 thousand. PLN.

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ENT