To determine if you or your child is a candidate for a HiResolution® Bionic Ear System, a comprehensive hearing evaluation will be conducted by a team of experts at the centres of excellences that offer the system.

So, your first step is to contact a clinic and make an appointment for an evaluation. Cochlear implantation is a specialist procedure needing a team of experts. There aren't many centres that do it, and you may need to travel some distance to your nearest centre.
You will be put on a waiting list. The length of time you may have to wait varies from centre to centre or country, and may depend on the amount of funding that has been made available. You or your child may have to wait several months for assessment.

The evaluation assesses the type and level of hearing impairment, as well as how well you or your child performs with hearing aids.
In addition to the hearing evaluation, the assessment will include medical tests such as a CT Scan and/or an MRI. During these tests, the radiologist takes special images of the inner ear, to check that it is possible to implant an electrode array. You may also be asked to undergo other medical tests to ensure that you are able to undergo surgery without risks to your general health.

Candidacy for a cochlear implant is evaluated by a multidisciplinary team of professionals : audiologist(s), teacher(s) of the deaf, speech and language therapist(s), surgeon(s) and sometimes other team members, like psychologist(s).

A typical assessment will involve an audiological and hearing aid evaluation to determine the degree of loss and to assess the benefit derived from amplification. Sometimes recommendations are made for a trial period with more powerful hearing aids.
In addition the audiologist or speech pathologist performs a battery of speech perception tests to assess an individual's current ability to understand speech using audition alone.

With young children, speech perception and production and language abilities are evaluated to assess current level of performance in both receptive (comprehension) and expressive (spoken) language skills.

In addition to the hearing evaluation, the assessment will include medical tests such as a CT (computerized tomography) Scan. During this test, the radiologist takes special images of the cochlea, to check that it is possible to implant an electrode array. In the vast majority of cases, the images show that there is no problem. In a very few cases, the scans warn the surgeon that the operation will be more difficult. For instance, there may have been bony growth (ossification) in the inner ear following meningitis, or the inner ear may have an unusual shape. It is very rare indeed for these problems to prevent the operation altogether. The CT scan is a quick and painless way to check that an electrode can be inserted into the cochlea.
You may be asked to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) for additional information or other medical tests to ensure that you are able to undergo surgery without risks to your general health.

Tips ...
Cochlear implantation is a specialist procedure needing a team of experts. Not many centres practice such an operation; therefore be prepared to travel some distance to your nearest centre of excellence
The length of the waiting list varies from centre to centre, but is often quite long and you may have to wait several months for assessment.

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