What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is a compact, compound electronic device that helps to provide a sense of hearing to a person who is extremely deaf or severely deafened. The implant consists of mainly two parts an exterior portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is placed under the skin through aciurgy (see figure). An implant has the following parts:  A recorder, which picks up sound from the environment.  A microprocessor, which selects and filters sounds picked up by the microphone.  A transmitter and receiver/stimulator, which receives signals from the sound processor and converts it into electrical impulses.  An electrode formation, which is a group of electrodes that collects the impulses from the stimulator and sends them to different regions of theauditory nerve. An implant does not regain normal hearing. Instead, it can give a deaf person a useful sensation of sounds in the vicinity and help him or her to understand speech.

How does a cochlear implant work?

The implant is very dissimilar from a hearing device. Hearing aids enhance sound waves so they can be detected by impaired ears. Cochlear implants bypass impaired portions of the