Cochlear Implant Surgery

Cochlear Implant Surgery

Has your inner ear been damaged, and you have severe hearing issues? Does a hearing aid does not work for you? If yes, then the doctor usually recommends cochlear implant surgery.

Cochlear implant surgery is a medical procedure that will help individuals to overcome severe hearing problems. The doctor implants an electronic device in the inner ear to improve hearing. 

Cochlear implant surgery will not help you get back to your normal hearing capability, but it can help you understand speech with less difficulty. It has two parts, i.e., the external part and the internal part. The external part will receive the sound and convert it into electrical signals. It further directs it to the inner part, which receives the electric signals and sends them to the brain through the auditory nerve. The brain interprets these signals as sound.

Who Is A Candidate For Cochlear Implants?

Cochlear implants are mainly for children and adults with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss. These people have difficulty interpreting speech even after using traditional hearing aids.

You can have cochlear implant surgery if your auditory nerve is functioning properly and you wish to hear spoken language by other people.

Your doctor will work with other hearing experts and recommend some tests before you undergo cochlear implant surgery. The tests are underlined below.

• A hearing test(audiogram)
• CT scan and MRI to inspect your inner ear
• Your doctor and other experts will check your speech recognition capabilities.
• Your doctor will check your complete physical and mental health to ensure that you can undergo surgery.

Cochlear Implant Device

The human ear consists of three parts, i.e., the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. 

The outer ear consists of the pinna and ear canal. The pinna collects the sound waves and then channels them to the ear canal, where the sound waves are amplified. The sound waves further hit the eardrum and made it vibrate. The vibration of the eardrum further makes the ossicles(Which consist of 3 bones, i.e., malleus, incus and stapes) vibrate. 

The sound waves then enter the inner ear, which consists of a spiral-shaped organ called the cochlea. The fluid inside the cochlea responds to these vibrations. When the fluid moves, the 25,000 nerve endings start to move and convert the sound into electrical impulses, which are carried to the brain by the auditory nerve.

Cochlear implants are designed for adults or children who are deaf or have severe hearing issues and receive almost no benefit from hearing aids. These implants bypass the inner ear and create a new pathway for sound waves to reach the brain. The device mainly consists of two components.

• The External Component consists of a microphone, battery, processor and transmitter. The microphone helps detect sound, and the battery powers the system. The sound processor sends sound waves to the transmitter. The transmitter converts the sound waves into electric signals and sends them to the inner component of the cochlear implant device.
• The internal component is implanted inside the ear through a surgical procedure. It consists of electrodes that  respond to the electrical signals sent by the exterior part and stimulate the nerve fibers in the cochlea. These signals are carried to the brain, which recognizes them as sound.

The Surgical Procedure

Your surgeon first evaluates the level of hearing loss through audiological tests. The surgeon may consult with other specialists about your hearing issues. A CT scan or MRI scan will be done to access the inner ear, especially the cochlea. 

The doctor will review your medical history, assess your physical fitness, inspect the MRI and CT scan reports of the inner eye and make a decision about surgery. He will explain the entire surgical procedure and the recovery period.

The cochlear implant surgery is performed in the hospital and takes approximately two hours to complete. You are given general anesthesia before the surgery.

The surgeon will make an incision behind the ear to access the mastoid bone. A small area of the bone will be removed to place the internal part of the Cochlear implant.

The surgeon places the electrodes in the cochlea. The internal processor is placed behind the ear.

Once the surgeon places the internal processor and the electrodes in its place, he will close the incision. The external components are placed after the healing period.

You will be moved to the recovery room and will be under observation once you recover from anesthesia. You will be discharged after a few hours of the surgery and are not allowed to use a hearing aid on the ear on which you had surgery.

Post Surgery Activation And Tuning

Before leaving the hospital, you will be instructed on how to care for the stitches. During the follow-up treatment, which is after one week of the surgery, your doctor will inspect the stitches and remove them. The doctor usually recommends 3-4 weeks for the area to heal completely before activating the cochlear implant.

When your inner ear heals completely, you must visit the audiologist once again. The audiologist will program the cochlear implant device and attach the external components, which consist of the microphone, sound processor and transmitter.

The audiologist will conduct a series of programming sessions or mapping sessions. It may continue for four to six weeks. Mappin means the process of fine-tuning the device to suit the individual hearing needs. 

During the early session, you can't clearly understand the sound coming from your cochlear implant device. You need to work with your audiologist or undergo auditory rehabilitation to help your brain interpret new electric signals as sound. 

Rehabilitation can continue for several months to even a year, depending on the condition of the patients.

Patients who have been deaf for a long time may need to attend speech therapy to improve their communication skills.

Benefits Of Cochlear Implant Surgery

Cochlear implant surgery provides numerous benefits, which are listed below.

• Many children have hearing loss problems. Cochlear implant surgery at an early age can better develop listening and speaking skills in children.
• Some individuals may have had a hearing, but they lost it either because of infection or severe injury. Such patients can greatly benefit from cochlear implant surgery. They can reconnect with the world once again.
• Cochlear implant surgery can improve the hearing ability of patients with severe hearing issues. After the surgery, patients can understand speech clearly, even in challenging situations like noisy environments.

Risks An Complications

Cochlear implant surgery is usually a safe procedure. However, it can accompany certain risks, which are listed below.

• Bleeding
• Unable to move the face on the surgery side, otherwise called facial paralysis.
• Infection at the surgery site.
• Balance issues
• Dizziness
• Ringing or buzzing in the ear is called tinnitus.
• Long-term pain in the surgical site
• Numbness on the surgical site
• Cerebrospinal fluid leakage
• Infections of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord are called bacterial meningitis.

Cochlear implants usually last for many years, but they can deteriorate or wear out with time. You need to have regular follow-ups with your doctor to check your cochlear implant device.

Technology even changes with time. Patients may consider upgrading their device or performing additional surgery to replace the internal device with the new technology.

Simultaneously, you should choose a highly skilled surgeon with many years of experience in cochlear implant surgery. It greatly reduces the risk associated with the surgery.

A good surgeon will properly instruct you on how to take care of the surgical site and reduce infections.

Recovery And Rehabilitation

Most patients go home the same day after the cochlear implant surgery. Full healing will take 3-4 weeks, and at this time, the external implant device is not attached.

Some mild swelling or a slight discomfort at the surgical site is absolutely normal. But if you observe bleeding, numbness or any other other problems, then immediately contact your doctor. You should avoid swimming or doing any strenuous activities during the recovery period. 

Don't put too much pressure on the surgical area, as it can have adverse effects.

After 4 weeks of surgery, the doctor will attach the exterior of the cochlear implant device. A good rehabilitation program can help a patient detect sound properly and understand its meaning. It is especially important for patients who have been deaf for a very long time.

Remember, the sounds heard from the cochlear implant device are not the same as those heard from normal hearing. But with time, your brain will understand the new electric signals as sound. Regular follow-up visits with the audiologist can help determine whether the cochlear implant device is functioning properly. 

The patient should also learn to take care of external components like battery life for proper device functioning.

Medical Tourism For Cochlear Implant Surgery

Now, healthcare costs are quite high in many developed countries. Medical tourism is the most appealing option for patients who want high-quality medical care at affordable costs for cochlear implant surgeries. Popular medical tourism destinations include India, Turkey and Mexico.

Patients seek cochlear implants abroad for the following reasons:

• Popular medical tourism destinations have hospitals that have access to advanced technology.
• The hospitals provide good care to the patients at an affordable cost.
• There are even experienced, skilled and reputed surgeons in the hospitals.

However, you should consider a few important factors while choosing a hospital abroad.

• Look for the reviews or testimonials before choosing the hospital.
• NABH should accredit the hospital if you are looking for cochlear implant surgery in India.
• The hospital should use the latest cochlear implant technology while doing the surgery.

Cost Of Cochlear Implant Surgery

The cost of cochlear implant surgery in the United States and Europe is $50,000 to $100,000, which is too high. But, the cost of this surgery is only $12000 to $28000 in India. A patient interested in having surgery in Turkey will cost $18,000 to $30,000 on average. 

Various factors influence the overall cost, such as the type of hospital you choose for the surgery, surgeon expertise and post-surgery rehabilitation period and type and brand of cochlear implant. 

Patients who want to have cochlear implant surgery at an affordable cost choose medical tourism destinations. The flight, accommodation, and post-operative care costs will also vary depending on the destination.

Conclusion

Cochlear implant surgery can be a boon for patients who have severe hearing issues. The doctor does surgery and places the internal parts of the cochlear implant in the ear. The sound waves bypass the damaged parts of the inner ear and reach the auditory and then to the brain. It may take certain months for the brain to understand the new signals.

Slowly, the patient can connect with the world, understand speech, and perceive sound. It will improve the quality of life of the patient.

There are a few countries where cochlear implant surgery will cost you quite a lot. If you cannot afford it, then opt for medical tourism destinations like India, Turkey, and Mexico. These destinations will provide you with good quality medical care at an affordable cost. 

Racure Health Care is a popular medical tourism Company. It provides travel-related services, treatment-related services and logistics services to the patient. 

The Company appoints a personal care executive to assist you throughout the stay. It will book flights for the patient so that the patient can travel to his destination without any hassle. 

The Company arranges virtual consultations with the surgeon. You can interact with the surgeon before flying to the destination. You can visit Racure Health Care today to learn more about other services.