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Cochlear Implant

Surgical Procedure

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted device that provides a person with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss with the perception of sound by bypassing acoustic hearing altogether and directly electrically stimulating the auditory nerve. It has two main parts, an external sound processor worn behind the ear or, in some newer designs, held to the head magnetically, and an internal implant placed in the cochlea whose electrodes stimulate the cochlear nerve; with training and regular use, recipients learn to interpret the resulting electrical signals as meaningful speech and sound. The implant is placed under general anesthesia and typically allows same-day discharge, and outcomes afterward vary considerably depending on factors including the age of implantation, parental involvement and education level, and the duration and cause of the hearing loss.

Facts
Classification
Status
Standard of Care 1
Origin Year
1957 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia, Cochlear implant, History section, first paragraph
    André Djourno and Charles Eyriès invented the original cochlear implant in 1957.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant, lead section
    A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception.
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