It is possible for people with severe and profound hearing loss to regain their voices with a cochlear implant. At this point, pointing out that more people can regain the sounds of life with cochlear implants, Professor of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medical Faculty. Dr. Serkan Orhan; “The cochlear implant, which removes hearing loss from being a fate, is an electrode system placed in the cochlea and ensures the restoration of hearing. The cochlear implant can be applied to children with congenital hearing loss, adults who have subsequently lost their hearing, those with progressive hearing loss and patients with unilateral total hearing loss. In order to have a cochlear implant, the person must have an anatomically appropriate inner ear and auditory nerve. Persons who meet these conditions; It can increase the quality of life by increasing hearing performance with an operation that requires experience, knowledge and care.”

Emphasizing once again that hearing loss is not destiny in these days when we leave behind the 3 March World Ear and Hearing Day, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Lecturer Prof. Dr. Serkan Orhan stated that the cochlear implant is more advantageous than hearing aids at this point and made the following statements: “Hearing aids amplify the sounds coming from the external environment and transmit them to the ear. In the cochlear implant, the sounds coming from the external environment are collected by the sound processor and transmitted to the implant and then to the electrodes with radio frequency, and the sounds are converted into electrical energy in the cochlea and the cochlear nerve is directly stimulated. In severe and severe hearing loss, although the sound level is increased with a hearing aid, it is not enough to perceive the sound and distinguish the words. However, cochlear implantation provides advantages in distinguishing and interpreting sounds. Currently, there are over 750 thousand cochlear implant users in the world and approximately 30 thousand in Turkey. I believe this number will increase day by day.”

There are some criteria for cochlear implant application.

Touching on the working principle of the cochlear implant, which offers effective solutions for hearing loss problems, Prof. Dr. Serkan Orhan said: “In a healthy person, the cochlea converts the sound energy coming from the external environment into electrical energy and this message transmits the information to the brain stem and the auditory center in the brain via the cochlear nerve. In patients whose cochlea cannot fulfill its function for different reasons, hearing is rehabilitated by direct stimulation of the cochlear nerve by placing electrodes in the cochlea. There are various criteria for the implementation of this solution, which contributes to the re-hearing of people. According to this; severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss, progressive hearing loss, bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss, severe sensorineural hearing loss that does not benefit from hearing aids, and finally unilateral total hearing loss. On the other hand, we can apply the cochlear implant to the patients.”

There is no limitation in adults for cochlear implants applied in infants from the age of one.

Stating that all newborn babies in our country undergo hearing screening, Prof. Dr. Serkan Orhan; “Babies who cannot pass this screening are referred to a higher center for detailed examinations. When advanced hearing loss is detected in the relevant centers, parents are informed about using hearing aids and going to special education and necessary procedures are applied. Meanwhile, the baby’s ear tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are used to evaluate the inner ear structures and the condition of the auditory nerve. The cochlear implantation process is initiated for eligible children. In our country, the earliest cochlear implantation is performed at the age of one, but in some countries, cochlear implants can be applied starting from nine months. At this point, I would like to underline that the cochlear implant offers a suitable treatment method not only for the pediatric age group but also for adults. Moreover, there is no age limit when it comes to adults. Most importantly, there is a 100 percent government reimbursement for cochlear implant surgeries in some product groups. Thus, patients do not bear any cost burden.”