New Delhi: Cochlear Implant Technology

One of the remarkable recent technological achievements that affect people with hearing loss is the cochlear implant. This device is a source of controversy among the culturally Deaf, some of whom see it as a threat to their culture. Among the late deafened and oral deaf, however, the cochlear implant is viewed as nothing short of a miracle.

No one maintains that cochlear implants restore normal hearing, nor are implants uniformly successful for all recipients. They work by bypassing the cochlear hair cells, defects of which are a common cause of deafness. Receiving a cochlear implant requires a surgical procedure that includes drilling a hole behind the ear and inserting a wire into the cochlea. The wire is actually a collection of electrodes, each of which is sensitive to a different frequency range and stimulates the auditory nerve with the corresponding frequency.

Though effective this Technology is quite expensive, cochlear implant technology is worth Rs. 10,00,000/- in this the cost of implant machine is Rs. 8,00,000/- and remaining two lakh is operation charges.

According to senior consultant of ENT department of Sir Gangaram hospital Dr. Ashish Lehri, cochlear implant device has two parts. One of its internal parts can be connected surgically with the hearing nerves inside the brain. The second external part is post operatively fixed on the ear after three weeks. The Implant's internal part catches the sounds, which are converted, into magnetic waves and passed onto the implant's internal section. This internal part in turn conducts the waves into the cochlear to the hearing nerves and onto the brain. The operation takes three-four hours to complete and when implanted the device can work for 100 years.

Source: Badhiro ke liye dus lakh ki technology. Sahara Samay, New Delhi, 18 June 2005.