Workshop: Neuro-otology and cochlear implantation

Profound hearing loss and deafness has a major impact on the quality of life and  the developmental possibilities of the individual. The inability to hear, affects a fundamental human property: the communication through speech.

With a congenital or profound, progressive hearing loss at a very young age, children are unable to learn spoken language. In these patients with a prelingual hearing loss the possibility to develop speech might be lost completely without intervention at a young age. Adults who become deaf later during life are unable to continue taking part in the society and might become isolated because of their handicap (postlingual hearing loss). Cochlear implantation (CI) is the primary therapy of choice for deafness and profound hearing loss. A CI is a device that electrically stimulates the auditory nerve.  This device is implanted during a 3.5 hour surgical procedure during which the cochlear electrode is introduced into the cochlea via cochleostomie. After cochlear implantation and an intensive rehabilitation program, a CI user is able to understand speech and a young-implanted child may develop it’s language capability.

In this workshop we will teach you about the anatomy and function of the ear by explaining several causes of deafness (including some genetic defects), the surgical procedure of implantation, and the function and design philosophy of the implant.