Cochlear Implants

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that functionally replaces a damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify the volume of sounds, a cochlear implant does the job of a damaged inner ear (cochlea) to transmit sound signals to the brain. Often, experts prescribe them to people who: 

• suffer from moderate to complete hearing loss in both ears;
• feel little or no benefit from hearing aids recognize with a damaged ear no more than 50% of sentences in a test conducted by an audiologist;
• recognized by the ear without an implant or by both ears when using hearing aids, no more than 60% of the sentences in the test carried out by an audiologist.

Many people use cochlear implants in both ears (bilateral implantation). Bilateral hearing can improve your ability to identify the source of sound and separate sounds you want to hear from those you don’t need to hear.

The advantages of the apparatus

Many adult patients with cochlear implants report the following positive changes: 

• Hearing with a cochlear implant is better than with a hearing aid;
• It becomes easier to concentrate in a noisy environment;
• It becomes possible to hear sounds that were previously inaccessible and which they did not hear before receiving a cochlear implant;
• Life becomes safer as they can hear alarms, warning shouts of other people and sounds of approaching vehicles;
• It becomes possible to speak on the phone and hear the interlocutor;
• It becomes possible to enjoy music.

How implants work 

Every year, Tel Aviv Medical Clinic employees undergo training at leading foreign research centers. Thanks to modern equipment, it is possible to carry out complex surgical interventions. A sound processor, which is worn behind the ear or on the body, picks up sounds and converts them into digital codes. The sound processor is equipped with a battery that powers the entire system. The sound processor transmits the sound in the form of a digital code through a coil on the patient’s head to the implant. The implant converts the encoded sound into electrical impulses and directs them through an electrode array located in the cochlea (inner ear). The implant’s electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve located in the cochlea, and the nerve sends impulses to the brain, which interprets them as sounds.

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