What is a Cochlear Implant?
The cochlear implant, or "bionic ear," is a technological wonder.
It is the only medical technology able to partially restore a human sense - hearing.
All cochlear implants have basic components in common :
- An implant surgically placed that consist of
- A receiver, lodged in the temporal bone under the skin behind the ear.
- An electrode array, placed in the inner ear in the scala media, where the sensory cells have been damaged or lost.
- An external mini-computer called a sound processor. The processor translates the surrounding sounds into signals that can be sent to the hearing nerve and can be recognized by the brain as sound.
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| The sound processor and implant successfully bypass the part of the auditory system that is damaged and enhance hearing ability. |
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| The HiRes 90K implant |
The Auria Harmony Sound Processor |
