Chandigarh: Fortis Hospital starts cochlear Implant clinic

CHANDIGARH: Fortis Hospital, Mohali recently started its cochlear Implant clinic. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. The incidence of deafness amongst new born children is 4 of 1000 live born children.

Dr Ashok Gupta, director, department of ENT, Mohali emphasized the need for such an Implant surgery in children during early days. “Most of the children remain undiagnosed or are diagnosed very late. Dr Gupta advised for regular medical checkup with specialist so that it can be diagnosed early, and corrective surgery can be taken for a better quality of life”, he said.

The treatment is done in the form of cochlear implantation which is a 2-hour surgery and requires 2-3 days hospitalization and the implant requires a switch on after 3 weeks. Another factor that ensures success is post-operation rehabilitation, which includes speech therapy to ensure that child starts hearing and speaking. The best results are obtained if the implant is done easily in life that is as early as when the child is 6 months of age.

Once diagnosis is made , these children are subjected to CT/MRI of inner ear to see for anatomical integrity of hearing organ and then surgical intervention is done for eligible candidates. It is a 2 hour surgery, requiring 2-3 day hospitalization and a switch on after 3 weeks. Post operation rehabilitation that is speech therapy is a must for success of surgery. Best results are obtained it surgery is done as early as 6-8 months of infant., explained Dr. Gupta.