2024-02-05 16:45:10
A child equipped with a cochlear implant, in consultation with Natalie Loundon, head of the pediatric audiophonology and cochlear implants unit at Necker-Enfants Malades (AP-HP), in Paris, in 2018. FOUNDATION FOR HEARING
For around thirty years, people with profound deafness have been able to benefit from a cochlear implant. It allows hearing rehabilitation when the auditory sensory cells are not functional, even if this technique is not indicated for everyone.
When the child is born deaf, parents can choose an amplifying hearing aid for moderate to mild hearing loss. They capture sound by one or more microphones, which is processed by a microprocessor, amplified then re-emitted by an earphone placed in the external ear canal, indicates Inserm. Some models have been accessible without charge since 2021.
But for severe to profound bilateral deafness, which affects approximately one in 1,000 children, cochlear implants are currently the only option allowing hearing recovery. Nearly 80% of them are equipped.
Around 1,700 cochlear implants are placed each year in France, including 60% in adults and 40% in children. “Unfortunately, it’s still too little known. We only implant 5% to 10% of adults meeting potential indications and with no upper age limit”explains Isabelle Mosnier, in charge of the Referral Center for cochlear implantation in adults for Ile-de-France at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (AP-HP).
The earlier we implement, the better
How it works ? The implant is made up of two distinct parts. An external, removable part, worn behind the ear, which captures sounds through its microphones and transmits them to the internal part. This consists of around twenty electrodes surgically inserted into the cochlea to replace damaged hearing cells and stimulate the auditory nerve. In practice, this device requires adjustments and an adaptation period, with speech therapy being necessary. We’re talking about rehabilitation. Only one ear is generally implanted, the other can be fitted with a simple prosthesis.
In children, the earlier we implant, the better. “It is advisable to do this before 4 years of age in bilaterally profoundly deaf children, ideally between 6 and 12 months, before damage to the auditory nervous system which may be irreversible can set in”explains Natalie Loundon, head of the infant audiophonology and cochlear implants unit at the Necker-Enfants Malades hospital (AP-HP). “Language development allows children to access reading and academic skills at the same pace as hearing children”continues the specialist.
You have 50% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
#Rehabilitating #hearing #cochlear #implant