The cochlear implant is an electronic device for adults and children with a moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. Unlike hearing aids which amplify sounds, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged hair cells in the inner ear or cochlea and stimulates the hearing nerves directly.
A cochlear implant systems has both internal and external parts:
- Internal component: Implant package – receiver stimulator and electrode array.
- External component: Speech Processor with microphone & transmitter coil
How a Cochlear Implant works
A cochlear implant provides direct electrical stimulation of the auditory nerves via electrodes placed in the cochlea to provide a percept of hearing.
How a Cochlear Implant Works
The Freedom implant (C) is placed under the skin behind the ear. The electrode array is placed in the cochlea via the middle ear.
- The speech processor captures sound and converts it into a digital code
- The speech processor transmits the digitally coded sound through the coil to the implant just under the skin
- The implant converts the digitally coded sound into electrical signals and sends them along the electrode array, (which is positioned in the cochlea)
- The implant’s electrodes stimulate the cochlea’s hearing nerve fibres, which relay the sound signals to the brain to produce hearing sensations.
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