Health Library

Cochlear Implants

What is a Cochlear Implant?

A cochlear implant (CI) is a device that helps children with severe to profound hearing loss hear sound. A CI is different than a hearing aid, which makes sounds louder. A CI sends signals directly to the hearing nerve. This helps the brain recognize sound.

A CI has two parts:

• An implant placed in the inner ear during surgery. This part is permanent.
• A sound processor worn behind the ear. Your child can take this off for sleeping, showering or swimming.

The processor picks up sounds around your child. It changes the sounds into electrical signals and sends them to the implant. The implant sends signals to the auditory nerve and up to the brain. Cochlear implants can be used for deafness in both ears or single-sided deafness.

Evaluation Process

Our team does a full evaluation of your child to see if cochlear implants are an option. This includes many types of hearing tests to determine the impact of your child’s hearing loss.

An ENT (ear, nose and throat doctor) will also order imaging tests of your child’s inner ear. This can include a CT or MRI scan. These pictures help us to figure out if there are more treatment options for your child’s hearing loss. They help us decide if there are any reasons that a cochlear implant may not be the right option for your child.

If we determine that cochlear implants could help your child’s hearing, our team will evaluate them to see if any special care needs should be part of their care plan. We will also decide if your child is a good candidate for robotic cochlear implant surgery instead of traditional cochlear implant surgery.

Traditional vs. Robotic Cochlear Implant Surgery

During traditional cochlear implant surgery, the surgeon inserts the implant with their own hand. During robotic cochlear implant surgery, the surgeon is still in charge but controls a robotic arm to insert the implant. This allows for much slower, more precise and consistent placement of the implant.

Traditional cochlear implant surgery risks destroying any natural hearing your child may still have, called residual hearing. This is because the human hand is not as precise and consistent as a robot. Robotic cochlear implant surgery saves more of your child’s residual hearing. This helps your child hear more natural sounds with the implant. They can also hear more sounds when not wearing the processor at night. It may also make them a better candidate for gene therapy later.

Robotic cochlear implant surgery is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for children as young as 4 years old. It costs more than traditional cochlear implant surgery, but most insurance covers robotic surgery. Cincinnati Children’s is currently the only pediatric hospital offering robotic cochlear implant surgery to children. Research is also being done to see if robotic cochlear implant surgery can be done on babies as young as 9 months.

Once the evaluations are done and we have your family’s input, our cochlear implant team will meet to talk about your child’s case. We will decide if a cochlear implant is the best choice and, if so, if your child is a good candidate for robotic surgery. We will contact you after this meeting to talk about our recommendations and next steps.

Cochlear Implant Services