Your child’s journey

Before the surgery

Before the surgery, the team of professionals works together to evaluate candidacy and prognosis of the cochlear implant candidate1.

Audiologists & Clinics

Audiological evaluation is done to check whether patients meet the candidacy criteria for a cochlear implant. These include:

  • Hearing tests including an audiogram, BERA/ASSR etc.
  • Hearing aid trial with speech therapy to evaluate potential benefits if any at all
Surgeons

Once the audiological evalutation meets the cadidacy criteria for cochlear implants, ENT surgeons (trained cochlear implant surgeons) evaluate whether a cochlear implant surgery can be performed and if it will benefit candidates by doing the following tests:

  • Examining external, middle & inner ear to detect if there is an infection or abnormality
  • CT scan
  • MRI Scan
During a cochlear implant surgery

A cochlear implant surgery is a low-risk routine medical procedure, which may take 1-3 hours. A small incision is made behind the ear. Surgeons make an incision behind the pinna to surgically implant the electrodes inside the cochlea and the receiver is implanted in the temporal bone behind the ear. Patients will require a short stay at the hospital under professional supervision.

After a cochlear implant surgery

Instructions

The patient is given instructions on post-surgery care for the incision. There is some time needed for the incision to heal before patients get back to their normal routine. This period can vary for each patient and only an expert can guide a patient as to when stitches can be removed. Professionals provide guidance toward when the patient can wash their ear and engage themselves in other activities.

Activation & Mapping

It is at this time that a patient hears for the first time and learns the basics of using and carrying the processor. Mapping will be taken place over several months. It is important to know that learning to use a cochlear implant is a gradual process.

Habilitation

Even though a cochlear implant provides the access to sound, understanding can take more than just hearing. Habilitation for patients who have never heard before and rehabilitation for patients who are learning to hear again are needed to allow optimal gains for all patients. Speech language pathologists and educators of the deaf guide parents and patients throughout this process.

Here is a link to our FAQ’s to answer your questions

References

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