Cochlear Implant Basics & Referral Flashcards

Cochlear implants are designed to bypass which damaged structure to restore hearing?

Answer: Outer hair cells of the organ of Corti

Cochlear implants electrically stimulate the auditory nerve directly, bypassing damaged or absent outer (and inner) hair cells.

A parent asks whether their 10-month-old child with bilateral profound SNHL is too young for a cochlear implant. What is the correct response?

Answer: No, the FDA approved cochlear implants for children as young as 12 months, and early implantation is encouraged

The FDA has approved cochlear implants for children as young as 12 months, and earlier implantation is associated with better language outcomes.

Which professional is typically NOT part of the core cochlear implant team?

Answer: Optometrist

Cochlear implant teams consist of audiologists, ENT surgeons, and speech-language pathologists; vision specialists are not routinely part of the core team.

Post-cochlear implant, what is the term for the process of programming the device to set comfortable and threshold stimulation levels?

Answer: Mapping (MApping)

Mapping (also called programming or MAPping) establishes the threshold (T-level) and comfort (C-level or M-level) for each electrode channel.

A cochlear implant candidate has otosclerosis causing profound SNHL. What preoperative concern is most relevant?

Answer: Cochlear ossification that may impede full electrode insertion

Otosclerosis can lead to cochlear ossification, which may prevent full insertion of the electrode array and reduce outcomes.

In bilateral cochlear implantation, what is the primary benefit over unilateral implantation?

Answer: Improved sound localization and speech understanding in noise

Bilateral implantation provides binaural hearing cues, improving the ability to localize sound and understand speech in background noise.

Which statement about cochlear implant use and residual hearing is correct?

Answer: Hearing-preservation cochlear implant techniques attempt to maintain residual acoustic hearing in the implanted ear

Modern hearing-preservation surgical techniques and hybrid implants aim to maintain low-frequency acoustic hearing alongside electric stimulation.