Cochlear Implant for Sensorineural Deafness

A cochlear implant can be a helpful aid for sensorineural hearing loss in children and adults

. This article describes how normal hearing and implants work.

What might seem like a simple process the hearing of a sound is dependent on the proper functioning of a complex sequence of events. A problem with any step in this sequence can lead to hearing loss.

How Does the Ear Work?In the outer ear, sound is collected in the auricle (the external part of the ear) and funnelled down the ear canal to the eardrum.In the middle ear, a chain of tiny bones (or ossicles) transmits vibrations in the eardrum to the inner ear.In the inner ear, the vibrations transmitted by the ossicles cause movements in the fluid that fills a cavity called the cochlea. The cochlea is lined with hair cells' bearing flexible protein filaments, and movements in the fluid cause the filaments to bend. The bending stimulates the hair cells and this in turn stimulates the cochlear nerve, which carries information about the sound that was heard to the brain, for processing.Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Cochlear ImplantsLoss of hearing can stem from problems at any point in this sequence. Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by abnormalities in the hair cells that prevent them transmitting normally to the cochlear nerve. These abnormalities can be present at birth, or may be caused by drugs, infection or prolonged exposure to very loud noise.

Sensorineural hearing loss may be overcome with a hearing aid, which amplifies the sounds that enter the outer ear. However, people with hair cell damage often find it difficult to distinguish between different sounds including speech and simply increasing the volume of those sounds does not solve the problem. For these people, a cochlear implant (sometimes called a 'bionic ear') may help.

How Does a Cochlear Implant Work?Cochlear implants take the place of the damaged hair cells by directly stimulating the cochlear nerve.

A microphone worn behind the ear picks up sounds, converts them to an electrical signal and transmits this to a processor. The processor may be also be positioned behind the ear, or may be carried in a pocket or on a belt.The processor organizes and filters the signal, then sends it to a transmitter in the form of radio waves. The transmitter is worn on the side of the head, held in place by a magnet.Under the skin, implanted into the bone directly beneath the transmitter, is a second magnet together with a receiver/stimulator. The receiver/stimulator picks up the radio signal from the transmitter and passes this down a thin wire that has been threaded into the cochlea.Electrodes on the wire stimulate the cochlear nerve as would healthy hair cells.The patient can usually return home the same day, but the implant is not switched on for up to a month after the surgery. An extended period of training follows, during which the patient learns how to interpret the sounds that he or she hears through the implant.

Cochlear Implant for Sensorineural Deafness

By: Center for Hearing Aids

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