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UT Southwestern Medical Center is widely recognized as a national leader in using cochlear implantation to treat adults and children who have hearing loss that’s too severe to benefit from hearing aids.
Our team performed the first cochlear implant in the Dallas area and continues to be a leader in North Texas in the procedure. We perform more than 100 implants a year, publish extensive research related to cochlear implantation, and frequently present at national and international meetings.
Cochlear implants are small electronic devices that are surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a component worn outside the ear. The device bypasses damaged or diseased parts of the ear and directly stimulates the auditory nerve, which connects to the part of the brain that processes sound.
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 300,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants, including approximately 58,000 U.S. adults and 38,000 U.S. children.
The goal of the UT Southwestern Cochlear Implant Program is to provide compassionate care to patients with significant hearing impairment who do not receive adequate assistance from conventional hearing aids.
Adults and children undergo a comprehensive evaluation by a team of UT Southwestern specialists, led by an otologist (ear surgeon) who specializes in cochlear implantation. Our team includes surgeons, audiologists, speech pathologists, psychologists, and social workers who collaborate to determine whether each candidate will benefit from a cochlear implant.
We make significant efforts to integrate family members into the therapeutic and rehabilitation process. Our specialists help patients and their families fully understand and evaluate treatment options, including whether the use of bilateral cochlear implants (having the devices implanted in both ears) might improve results. Bilateral implants can increase the ability of individuals to understand speech, separate speech from background noise, and better locate the source of sounds.
The UT Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Children’s Health is a collaborative effort of UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children's Health, and the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at UT Dallas that brings together our combined knowledge, experience, and resources to care for children with significant hearing impairment.
Through research, education, and patient services, this program offers comprehensive evaluation and treatment that is enhanced by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, audiologists, speech pathologists, psychologists, and social workers.
Our program strives to be family-centered, culturally sensitive, integrative, coordinated, and focused on outcomes. We make every effort to implant children at a young age (12 months) because a younger age of implantation has a significant positive impact on hearing, speech development, school performance, and quality of life.
Once it’s determined that a child is a candidate for cochlear implant evaluation, here’s what typically happens.
Preliminary Coordination
Testing, Evaluation, and Discussion
Surgery and Beyond
Meningitis is an infection in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. There are two main types of meningitis: viral and bacterial. Bacterial meningitis is the most serious type. Though rare, it’s the type that can occur in people with cochlear implants. Worldwide, there are more than 90 known reports of people getting meningitis after getting a cochlear implant.
Recommendations
Source: American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
The UT Southwestern Adult Cochlear Implant Program is located in the UT Southwestern Otolaryngology Clinic, where our team of three audiologists and three cochlear implant surgeons ensures the best possible patient outcomes.
Cochlear implants can be more effective than hearing aids for patients with less severe hearing loss than previously recommended, so the indication for cochlear implants has expanded.
On the first visit, patients meet with a cochlear implant surgeon and an audiologist who will conduct an otological (ear) exam and a comprehensive hearing evaluation to determine whether they meet the program's admission criteria.
If a patient meets the criteria for admission, here's what to expect:
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that patients receive two additional vaccines (Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax) because a cochlear implant carries a small chance of meningitis.
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