Cochlear implants are prosthetic devices designed to restore
some hearing to adults and children with a severe-to-profound
sensorineural hearing loss by converting the acoustic input
signal into an electrical pattern that is interpreted as sound
by the user. A cochlear implant consists of internal components
that are surgically placed and external components that require
fitting and programming. Cochlear implants are considered the
only medical treatment for severe-to-profound hearing loss.
Cochlear Implant V. Hearing Aid Cochlear implants are different
from hearing aids. A hearing aid acoustically amplifies sound
and relies on the responsiveness of healthy, inner ear sensory
cells to receive that sound and send the message to the brain.
In patients with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss,
the inner ear sensory cells are lost or damaged to the degree
that a hearing aid is no longer beneficial for understanding
speech because there are not enough healthy sensory cells to
relay the message to the bra