Cochlear Implant Surgery in Delhi, India

1. Sound is received by the microphone
2. Sound is transmitted from the microphone to the speech processor, which digitalizes the sound into coded signals.
3. Coded signals are then sent to a transmitter which sends across the skin into the internal implant and convert it into electrical signals.
4. The signals are then sent to electrodes to stimulate the internal implant.

The assessment includes:

• Evaluation of hearing
• Communication ability
• Cochlear morphology
• Middle ear and mastoid status
• General developmental issues

The different tests that are conducted to assess the problem are:

• Auditory brain stemimplant (ABR) or electrocochleography (ECochG).
• Behavioral testing – using tests such as visual response audiometry.
• Older children with post lingual deafness, standard pure tone and aided free field tests are performed along with speech discrimination.
• An aided audiogram.

The purpose of Psychological Assessment and Preoperative Counselling is:

• To determine the intellectual ability of the child
• Identify family issues that may affect implantation and post implant performance.
• Ability to assist in the delivery of an intense postoperative programme to enable the child to develop receptive and expressive oral language skills.
• Assessment of both the recipient’s and his/her family expectations for the device. If expectations are unrealistic, they can be modified prior to implantation.<

The different surgical techniques that are available:

• Implantation

  Surgery under general anesthesia is required to implant the internal components. The receiver / stimulator assembly is placed inside the temporal bone and the electrodes are inserted into the cochlea, which in turn directly stimulates the hearing nerve. The implantation procedure usually takes about one to two hours.

• Mapping & Switch On:

  After three to four weeks the incision should be healed. At this point, the programming of the speech processor will be carried out and the external parts of the implant will be hooked up. The implantee will begin to hear then.

• Auditory Verbal Therapy:

  Children who are not exposed to the hearing world must undergo extensive habilitation to improve their speech, language and hearing skills.

Our experts follow a multi-disciplinary approach to enable the child to learn passively about the environment. The implants are responsible for addressing receptive and expressive language skills.

• What does the cochlear implant do?
• If You Could Make Your Deaf Child Hear, What Would You do? Get a Cochlear Implant?
• Treating Hearing Loss in Adults with Cochlear Implant
• Managing Hearing Loss in Elderly With Cochlear Implant