See Also: cochlear prosthesis(medicine)
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cochlear prosthesis (medicine)


cochlear prosthesis -->
cochlear implant


An electronic device implanted under the skin with electrodes in the middle ear on the promontory or cochlear window or in the inner ear in the cochlea to create sound sensation in total sensory deafness.

A microphone behind the ear feeds sound waves into a microprocessor carried on the body, which analyzes the data and sends information back to a radio transmitter that triggers the electrodes in the middle or inner ear to produce the appropriate electrical pulses. This does not enable the patient actually to hear, but rather to distinguish different sounds according to the neural sensation they produce. The first successful cochlear implant was performed in 1978 in Melbourne, Australia. Such devices are among many implanted aids which have been made possible by the advent of microchip technology.

Synonym: cochlear prosthesis.