Audiology

Treatment

Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants are not appropriate for everybody with hearing loss. But for those who meet the criteria for the procedure, these small electronic devices can be very beneficial.

Among children and adults with severe, irreversible hearing loss, even the most powerful hearing aids offer little on no improvement. For many, cochlear implants may be able to deliver what hearing aids cannot: an opportunity to hear, and all the benefits that come with it.

What are Cochlear Implants?

Cochlear implants are small, sophisticated electronic devices that are surgically implanted behind the ear. They’re designed to produce useful hearing sensations by stimulating auditory nerves and compensating for parts of the inner ear that either are damaged or don’t work at all.

Learn More

• How Cochlear Implants Work
• Benefits of Cochlear Implants
• Criteria for Getting Cochlear Implants
• How the Procedure Is Done

Resources

For more information about cochlear implants, visit the following Web sites:

• Cochlear
• Advanced Bionics Corporation
• The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
• National Academy of Sciences: Short history of the cochlear implant