What You Should Know Before Considering a Cochlear Implant

Since the mid-1990s, cochlear implantation surgery has been carried out in China, especially since the National Cochlear Implant Rescue Rehabilitation Program for Poor Deaf Children implemented by the China Rehabilitation Center for Deaf Children (CRCDC), a number of otorhinolaryngology departments in large hospitals have been able to carry out cochlear implantation surgeries, and the relevant norms for cochlear implantation surgeries have been formulated. In particular, the cochlear implant centers of some large hospitals have rich experience in cochlear implant surgery, preoperative language assessment and postoperative language rehabilitation. Generally speaking, there is not much difference between these hospitals in terms of purely surgical techniques, and it can be frankly said that parents should know that cochlear implantation is not as simple as surgical implantation, but should pay more attention to the accuracy of the preoperative assessment, the understanding of the characteristics of the product, whether the implantation surgery is minimally invasive, whether there will be immediate and long-term complications after the surgery, as well as the ability of the hospitals and surgeons to deal with them, and the key elements of the post-operative speech rehabilitation. speech rehabilitation, and other key components. The birth and maturity of cochlear implant technology has brought great changes to the lives of millions of hearing-impaired patients, freeing them from the bad luck of living in a silent world all their lives, and from now on, they are heading towards a sound world and creating an infinitely bright future! Undoubtedly, choosing an experienced surgeon to perform the surgery has a certain impact on the post-operative results, because cochlear implant surgery is a systematic project, and being able to implant the electrodes into the cochlea smoothly can only be regarded as a part of the success of cochlear implant surgery. The success of cochlear implant surgery depends on the following aspects. 1, comprehensive audiological evaluation; 2, accurate imaging evaluation; 3, solid theoretical knowledge of cochlear implant and its surgery; 4, rich experience in minimally invasive cochlear implant surgery; 5, complete operating room and general anesthesia support conditions; 6, systematic postoperative adjustment and speech rehabilitation. Systematic speech and hearing evaluation system: At present, we routinely carry out more than ten clinical audiological examinations, such as pure tone audiometry, acoustic conductance, 40Hz correlation potential, ABR, speech audiometry, multi-frequency homeostasis, cochlear potential, otoacoustic emission, behavioral audiometry, and visual reinforcement audiometry, etc., which allow us to carry out systematic audiological tests and evaluations before, during, and after the operation for the hearing problems of low-aged and even newborn babies. These evaluations are extremely important in determining the location and degree of deafness and in assessing the efficacy of cochlear implantation surgery. Extensive clinical experience in cochlear implantation: The surgeon should make every case of cochlear implantation as free as possible from serious surgical complications (i.e., complications that need to be corrected by reoperation, such as infection of the incision, necrosis of the skin flap, exposure of the implant, and leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, etc.). In addition, it is more important to expand the indications for cochlear implantation, such as some conditions that were previously thought to preclude cochlear implantation (e.g., certain inner ear malformations, severe ossification of the cochlea, etc.), and to be as minimally invasive as possible for routine surgeries for optimal surgical outcomes. In addition, the ability to deal with postoperative complications is also needed. Considerate preoperative service and standardized postoperative follow-up: High-quality and systematic preoperative evaluation, intraoperative monitoring, postoperative adjustment, language rehabilitation, long-term follow-up are closely related to the surgical results, and cochlear implantation centers should provide systematic and standardized services. Post-operative debugging, pre-operative consultation, intra-operative monitoring, post-operative adjustment and rehabilitation guidance should be done by specialized audiologists, who will have a more comprehensive understanding of the situation of each implantee, and establish a lifelong personalized medical file and rehabilitation plan for each patient, which will ultimately create a good condition for the smooth integration of the patient into the world of sound. As a parent or family member, or the patient himself, before choosing to implant a cochlear implant must have experienced confusion and pain, not only to bear the huge medical expenses, but also worried about the results after the operation. You will also carefully consider which hospital to operate in and which doctor to operate with. I am sure this short article will give you some help!