What is a Cochlear Implant?

Getting Started	What is a CI?	Candidacy	Performance
Decision Making	Process	Insurance	Surgery
Education	Communication	Sign Language	Deaf Community
Speech Processor	Listening	Resources	Versión en Español

By Debra Nussbaum, M.A., CCC-A

A cochlear implant is a technological device intended to enhance the hearing of persons who are deaf. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as of April 2009, approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received implants. In the United States, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them. Most children who receive implants are between two and six years old. (NIDCD, Cochlear Implants)

Experience and research suggest that a cochlear implant can bring a greater awareness to a broader range of sounds for many deaf children in comparison to traditional hearing aids. Use of this device requires participation in an often rigorous pre-implantation protocol to determine candidacy, surgery to implant a portion of the device, an activation process to program an externally worn portion of the device, and participation in an intensive training program, as well as an appropriate educational program to actualize benefit from the device.

There are three manufacturers of cochlear implants commonly used in the United States. Each of these manufacturers provides extensive (promotional) resources at no charge about their specific brand of cochlear implant, as well as general information about implants. (See the contact information for each of the manufacturers in the Resources section.)

Advanced Bionics Corporation is the manufacturer of the HiRes 90K® Implant (the surgically implanted component of the device), the Harmony™ Sound Processor worn at ear level , and the Platinum Series™ body-worn Sound Processor. Older generation devices include the CII BTE™ and Platinum BTE™.
Cochlear Corporation is the manufacturer of the Nucleus 5 System, which features the Cochlear Nucleus CP810 Sound Processor, the Cochlear Nucleus CI512 Cochlear Implant, and the Cochlear Nucleus CR110 Remote Assistant. Older generations of this manufacturer include the Nucleus® Freedom™ body-worn and ear-level devices, the Esprit and 3G BTE processors, and the Sprint and Spectra body-worn devices.
MED-EL Corporation is the manufacturer of the MAESTRO® system, which is composed of two options in speech processor design, several different wearing configurations, two different implant housing designs, and a wide variety of electrode arrays. The newest generation of speech processors are called OPUS. Previous generations of the speech processor are known as the TEMPO+.

Components of the Device

A cochlear implant is composed of surgically implanted and externally worn components. The surgically implanted components include:

a receiver/stimulator housed in a bio-compatible case, which is surgically implanted under the skin behind the ear, and contains a magnet, which couples to the magnet in the transmitter worn externally; and
an electrode array inserted into the cochlea to provide direct electrical stimulation to remaining nerve fibers.

The externally worn, non-implanted components of the device include:

a microphone similar to the microphone of a hearing aid,
a speech processor that can be worn on the body (pager style, connected to the headpiece by a cable) or behind the ear (similar to a hearing aid), and
a transmitting coil, a small disk about the size of a quarter, which adheres to the skin behind the ear via a magnet and is connected to the microphone by a small cable.

For More Information

For more information about how a cochlear implant works, see:

MEDEL — How A Cochlear Implant Helps Restore Hearing

Advanced Bionics — Components of a Cochlear Implant and How It Works

Cochlear Americas: Questions and Answers about Cochlear Implants

For websites that provide sound simulations that approximate the experience of listening through a cochlear implant see:

University of Texas-Dallas/Cochlear Implant Laboratory

University of California- Irvine

PBS-Scientific American Frontiers: Tuning In

Fact sheets describing the basic components of a cochlear implant are available at the following Web sites: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:

Cochlear Implants

About Cochlear Implants: The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

NIDCD: More about Cochlear Implants

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Cochlear Implants

Revised August 2010