Cochlear Implant: Advanced Hearing Restoration Technology for Severe Hearing Loss

What is Cochlear Implant? Cochlear Implant Prices in Turkey

With advancing science and technology serving humanity, medicine continues to progress rapidly. This progress occurs across all medical fields, aiming to facilitate people's lives, prevent fatal diseases, and improve quality of life.

Some organs are extremely important to humans. For example, while many people can live with one kidney, the absence of ears or loss of hearing ability can fundamentally change a person's life.

The ears, which are vital organs for people to hear, are created with incredible perfection. Sometimes disorders arising from this creation are congenital, while others develop later. As a result of these disorders, a person's hearing may diminish or be completely lost.

Scientists intervene at this very point. They treat patients with medication, surgical operations, or devices to be used later. As a result of this treatment, those whose hearing ability has diminished or been completely lost may begin to hear again.

Some patients regain hearing through medication, surgery, or hearing aids. However, in advanced cases of hearing loss, these procedures do not provide recovery. In this case, doctors have another method they resort to. This method is the Cochlear Implant, or as commonly known, bionic ears.

Bionic ears, used for treatment in advanced or very advanced stages, enable people to hear again.

How is Cochlear Implant Surgery Performed?

The stages of cochlear implant, or bionic ear surgery, can be outlined for you as follows:

• The patient is first examined by an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) specialist.
• Then they undergo a hearing test conducted by audiologists. If the patient is a child, speech ability is also measured. These results are compared with children of the same age with normal hearing.
• Based on these results, the doctor decides whether to fit a hearing aid or perform a cochlear implant. Before this decision phase, a hearing aid is fitted for a 90-day period to determine whether hearing can be achieved. If adequate feedback is not obtained from these devices, cochlear implant is applied.
• To determine the level of hearing loss, MRI and ear CT imaging are required. Following these examinations, the patient is evaluated comprehensively and past medical history is considered. After all these evaluations, it is decided whether surgery is appropriate. If the person's hearing loss is congenital rather than acquired, genetic evaluations are also conducted.
• Cochlear implant, or bionic ear surgery, is performed under general anesthesia. An operation lasting approximately 2-4 hours is performed.
• An incision behind the ear creates space for the implant to be placed there.
• Before making the incision behind the ear during surgery, whether the bionic ear is functioning properly must be checked.
• The condition of the bionic ear placed on the patient's head after emerging from anesthesia is checked with radiological imaging.
• Following surgery, the device is not activated to allow proper wound healing. This inactivity promotes rapid wound healing, and the device is activated approximately one month later.

Where is the Cochlear Implant Placed?

The microphone of the bionic ear is placed immediately behind the patient's ear. Its processor is positioned outside the head, slightly higher. While the doctor surgically places the implant under the skin, components called electrodes are positioned inside the cochlea during surgery.

How Does the Cochlear Implant Work?

When patients have mild hearing problems, hearing aids they use amplify sounds like a microphone and send them into the ear, enabling hearing. However, in advanced hearing loss, these devices are ineffective, and a bionic ear or cochlear implant device is needed.

This device, placed under the skin and within the ear during surgery, works on the principle of converting sound waves into electrical energy. In short, the process occurs in four stages. These are:

• The microphone captures sounds in the environment.
• It transmits these sounds to the speech processor for processing.
• The implant converts the signals from the speech processor into electrical energy.
• Finally, the electrode array sends this energy to different regions of the nerves responsible for hearing, enabling hearing.

What are the Benefits of Cochlear Implant?

Of course, the ability to hear is one of the most important and wonderful things in the world. Healthy people are often unaware of this ability and don't realize how important it is. However, it is inevitable that someone who is truly ill and recovers afterward realizes what a magnificent ability hearing is.

This treatment method has numerous benefits. These benefits can be outlined for you as follows:

• Hearing-impaired patients usually need visual factors such as lip reading to understand the person speaking. After this implant is placed, the person will be able to hear without needing these aids.
• They will be able to recognize routine daily sounds such as cars, traffic, sea, rain, friends, and crowds.
• If the person is in a noisy environment, they will be able to distinguish sounds individually and hear a single sound.
• After using the device, they will be able to understand where sound is coming from.
• They will be able to hear sounds clearly while watching television or talking on the phone.

Who is the Cochlear Implant Applied to?

Cochlear implant is not applied to every hearing problem. Firstly, certain conditions must be met. These conditions can be explained for you as follows:

• The person must have experienced severe hearing loss,
• The person must not have benefited from hearing aids currently being used,
• The person undergoing this surgery must have no health factors that would affect the surgery,
• The person must have high motivation,
• The person must have complete information about the cochlear implant.

At What Age is Cochlear Implant Performed?

Cochlear implant is applied to restore lost hearing ability, and as a result of this surgery, the person begins to hear and life becomes organized.

This surgery is performed on anyone from at least 1 year of age onward who needs it.

What are the Risks of Cochlear Implant Surgery?

Like all surgeries, there are certain risks in cochlear implant surgery. These risks can be outlined for you as follows:

• Like many surgeries, this operation is performed under general anesthesia. Certain risks related to anesthesia may occur.
• Although unlikely, there is a risk of facial paralysis.
• Cerebrospinal fluid leakage may occur.
• Although unlikely, there is a possibility of meningitis.
• There is also a possibility of the implanted device malfunctioning. In such cases, the person undergoes surgery again and the device is replaced.

What is Pediatric Cochlear Implant?

Pediatric Cochlear Implant is generally a bionic ear used in children. There is no serious difference between it and the cochlear implant used in adults. They function in the same way.

Cochlear Implant Prices in Turkey

Turkey has become known for its successful surgeries. It is among the first countries whose doors are knocked for serious operations. There are many reasons for this preference, which can be outlined for you as follows:

• The presence of doctors who are experts in their field, successful, talented, knowledgeable, experienced, and empathetic,
• The existence of spacious, bright, clean hospitals fully equipped with technological devices for treatment procedures,
• All authorized personnel and staff who facilitate your arrival in the country, primarily doctors and nurses, nursing caregivers, hospital management and personnel, and accommodation service providers are extremely friendly and helpful. Turkey, notable for its hospitality, is preferred for this positive aspect as well.
• The use of varied and highly successful treatment methods in light of science,
• Turkey's natural and historical beauty, offering patients and their relatives vacation opportunities following treatment,
• The completion of treatment, accommodation, and food and beverage processes at affordable prices explain the reasons for preference.

If you also wish to have Cochlear Implant Surgery in Turkey, you can come to the country through us with the aid of our invitation letter, which we facilitate visa procedures for. Previously, you can contact us for all questions in your mind, information about the cochlear implant surgery process, and general pricing information.