What is a Cochlear Implant?
Sensorineural deafness is the result of damage to highly sensitive hair cells (hearing nerve endings) within the inner ear called the cochlea. Even though these hair cells are damaged, many nerve fibers remain intact and can be directly stimulated by the cochlear implant to transmit sound to the brain.
The internal portion of the cochlear implant is surgically imbedded under the skin behind the ear with an electrode array inserted into the cochlea and a magnet under the skin behind and just above the ear.
The external elements of the device include a sound processor with microphone and batteries which is similar in look to a hearing aid. The sound processor uses a cable and a coil with magnet to connect to the internal device under the skin.
The cochlear implant is not like a hearing aid designed to make sounds louder or clearer. Instead, it is a medical device that bypasses the damaged inner ear structures and directly stimulates the auditory nerve. Through this stimulation, individuals often can learn to listen and understand speech and environmental sounds.
- The external processor captures sound and converts it to digital sig-nals.
- The processor sends digital signals to the internal implant.
- The internal implant turns signals into electrical energy, sending it to an array inside the cochlea.
- Electrodes stimulate the hearing nerve itself, bypassing the dam-aged hair cells. The brain perceives the signal and the recipient hears sound.
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