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A cochlear implant is a surgically placed device that helps a person with severe hearing loss hear sounds.
The cochlea is a snail-shaped part of the inner ear. It turns sound vibrations into electrical signals that travel along the auditory (hearing) nerve. The brain translates these signals into recognizable sounds.
Cochlear (KOE-klee-er) implants are different from hearing aids:
Learn the basics in 45 seconds.
Cochlear implants have:
Sound quality from a cochlear implant is different from that in normal hearing. That's because a limited number of electrodes take over the work of the thousands of hair cells in a normal cochlea. The sounds a child hears won't be totally "natural."
But cochlear implants let someone sense sound that they couldn't hear otherwise. Infants who never heard before soon will build new brain pathways to start to make sense of these sounds. With therapy and practice, all kids can learn how to interpret these sounds to better understand speech.
Cochlear implants are considered for children with profound hearing loss who can be as young as 9 months old.
A cochlear implant team will help decide if cochlear implants are a good option. This team includes an audiologist (hearing specialist), an ear-nose-throat (ENT) doctor, a speech therapist, a psychologist, and a social worker.
Kids being considered for the surgery will:
Kids might not get the implants if:
Cochlear implant surgery is done under general anesthesia. The child will sleep through the surgery and not feel pain.
The surgeon:
Depending on a child's hearing, the doctor may recommend getting two cochlear implants, one for each ear. This may be done at the same time or in two separate operations. People with two implants are better able to tell where sound is coming from, hear better in noisy settings, and hear sound from both sides without having to turn their head.
All surgeries come with some risks. The most common problems after cochlear implant surgery include:
Rare problems include:
Children with cochlear implants have a higher risk for some types of meningitis. So it's important that they get their immunizations on time. Children over 2 years old with cochlear implants also should get the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) to help protect against meningitis.
The audiologist will turn on the cochlear implants about 2–4 weeks after surgery. The team fine-tunes them over several weeks to meet your child's hearing needs. They'll also teach you how to care for and operate it.
Children with cochlear implants begin auditory rehabilitation (listening therapy) and speech and language therapy soon after surgery. Auditory rehabilitation helps a child identify sounds and associate meanings with those sounds. Speech therapy helps them develop and understand spoken language. Expect these sessions to happen once or twice weekly for at least a year.
Most children who get cochlear implants do well, but results vary. How well they hear and communicate depends on things such as:
After surgery, kids need strong support from parents and other family members. You'll play an important role in your child's speech development. Education and training programs offered by therapists can help you learn the best ways to help your child.
If your child is a candidate for cochlear implants, talk to the implant team about what to expect after the surgery.
It can help to learn all you can about hearing loss and cochlear implants. Talk to the care team about local support groups in your area. You also can look online for information and support at:
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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