It is possible for children with a severe hearing disability to undergo microsurgery for a cochlear implant, Taichung-based doctor Ho Hsu-chueh (何旭爵) said on Tuesday.
Three infants out of every 1,000 are born with varying degrees of hearing problems that are hereditary, or caused by genetic mutation or unknown factors, said Ho, director of the cochlear implant center at Chung Shan Medical University Hospital.
One out of every 1,000 is likely to have a hearing disability that affects both ears, meaning they are unable to hear sounds below 90 decibels, while normally, a person would be able to hear anything above 20 to 25 decibels, he said.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that transforms sounds into electricity and stimulates the cochlea’s hearing nerve, restoring almost normal hearing to those with anatomical ear defects, he said.
While conventional implantation methods require a 20cm incision behind the ear and boring into the cochlea to install an electrode, microsurgery can reduce the incision width to 3cm, placing the electrode through a natural opening in the cochlea, he said.
By using microsurgical techniques to limit damage to hair cells — the neural receptors of the auditory system — the patient could benefit from advances in medical technology, he said.
As much of the cognitive development for language and audio sensory-related abilities occurs before age of three, implantation prior to that age is ideal, he said.
The procedure is not recommended for children over the age of six because by age seven, a child might not develop the cognitive ability to perceive sound, he said.
In July last year, Cochlear implantation became a National Health Insurance-subsidized procedure and surgery costs NT$1 million (US$32,262) per ear, he said.
There is an 80 percent chance that congenitally deaf children will develop speech with one implant and a 90 percent chance with two, because two implants are better at indicating directionality and overcoming noise interference, he added.
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