Best Cochlear Implant Surgery in Mumbai

Best Cochlear Implant Surgery in Mumbai - Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai

If you have severe or profound hearing loss in one or both ears and your hearing aids no longer help, a cochlear implant may be an option. When you come to Fortis Hospital, Mulund, for cochlear implants, our hearing specialists are here to guide you every step of the way. Our Cochlear Implant Centre offers a comprehensive approach to cochlear implantation and rehabilitation, ensuring you get the best results from your treatment. Each year, our experts perform hundreds of procedures on adults and children, utilising the most advanced technology and techniques, including robot-assisted cochlear implant surgery, to deliver the best possible outcomes.

Read on to learn more about a cochlear implant, including how the device works, what the procedure entails, and more.

What is a Cochlear Implant?

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to people with sensorineural hearing loss – a type of hearing loss caused by damage to the hair cells inside the inner ear (cochlea). Cochlear implants do not restore normal hearing, but they enhance your ability to understand speech and other sounds.

The implant consists of external and internal parts that work together by electrically stimulating the cochlear nerve:

• The external part that sits behind the ear consists of a microphone, processor, and transmitter
• The internal part, surgically placed under the skin, consists of electrodes and a receiver
   

The device offers significant improvement in hearing and quality of life to adults, children, and babies with severe to profound hearing loss.
 

How Does a Cochlear Implant Work?

A cochlear implant (unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder) makes sounds clearer, making it easier for you to understand the conversation. It sends sounds directly to your hearing (auditory) nerve, bypassing the damaged parts of your ear.

The device works like this:

• You will wear a microphone and a sound processor, which captures the sounds picked up by the mic from the environment.
• The sound processor sends sound signals to the transmitter (attached to your scalp), which converts them into electrical impulses. The sound processor sends the impulses to the receiver (implanted under your skin).
• The electrodes (placed in the cochlea) collect the impulses from the receiver and send them to different parts of your auditory nerve. Your auditory nerve then sends the impulses to your brain, which identifies the impulses/signals as sounds.

A cochlear implant offers significant benefits to patients, although it does not provide sounds in the same way as natural hearing.
 

How Will You Receive a Cochlear Implant?

To get a cochlear implant, you’ll undergo surgery that usually takes 2-4 hours.

Before your surgery, the cochlear implant team at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, will perform a comprehensive evaluation to ensure this treatment is safe and the best choice for you. Your evaluation includes a physical exam, hearing tests, and MRI or CT scans of the ears and head.

• During the procedure, you’ll be given general anaesthesia so you’re asleep and you feel no pain.
• Your surgeon will make a small incision behind the ear.
• A small hole is made in the mastoid to insert the implant electrodes into the cochlea.
• The internal receiver is then placed under the skin behind your ear.
• The cuts are closed, and you’ll be moved to a recovery area, where you’ll be monitored closely as the anaesthesia wears off.
   

Cochlear implantation is typically an outpatient procedure, so most patients can go home the day of surgery. About one week after surgery, you’ll have a follow-up appointment with your surgeon to check how your incisions heal.

About one month after surgery, and once the healing is complete, your care team will activate the cochlear implant. An audiologist will programme the device to ensure you’re hearing as well as you can.
 

Rehabilitation and Care

A cochlear implant requires ongoing care, which involves monitoring your hearing and device programming through regular follow-ups with your doctor. You’ll need speech therapy and auditory rehabilitation to train your brain to understand new sounds and speech. This will improve your learning process and help you get the most out of this technology. You will, in fact, work with your audiologist and surgeon for the rest of your life for optimal hearing experience.
 

Potential Risks and Complications

Cochlear implants are a safe surgical procedure that offers benefits, such as improved hearing and better speech understanding. However, as with all surgeries, it carries some risks, including:

• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Infection at the implant site
• Dizziness
• Meningitis
• Ringing in the ears
• Numbness around the ear
• Facial paralysis
• Dry mouth
• Taste changes
• Balance problems
• Spinal fluid leakage
   

Conclusion

A cochlear implant can be life-changing for people with severe to profound hearing loss when hearing aids no longer provide benefits. If you or a family member needs cochlear implant surgery, schedule a consultation with one of our ENT doctors at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, today to start hearing better and live your life to the best.

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Fortis Hospital Mulund - Best Hospital for Cochlear Implantation in Mumbai

Fortis Hospital Mulund, Mumbai

Address: Mulund Goregaon Link Road, Mulund-West, Mumbai, 400078

Ph. 02268846143