Hearing Aid

A cochlear implant is a tiny device that stimulates the cochlear nerve (the nerve that helps to hear) through electrical impulses. The implant has two parts. One that fits inside the ear while the other sits outside or behind the ear. The cochlear implant picks up the external noises from the microphone, processes the sound waves, and transmits them directly to the cochlear nerve. The inner part of the implant is surgically placed under the skin behind the ear. Thin wires and small electrodes are placed towards the cochlear nerve. The sounds and signals transmitted through the electrodes and wires hit the cochlear nerve, which in turn stimulates a hearing sensation in the brain cells. Cochlear implants are much different from hearing aids even though both devices aid in hearing. Hearing aids are devices that improve sounds or make sounds louder and do not aid speech understanding. On the other hand, cochlear implants improve speech understanding while helping restore normal hearing. Appropriate therapy and practice can help reap the healing benefits of cochlear implants. Even children and toddlers can learn to speak and listen well with an increased sound awareness in the environment and rehab therapy after cochlear implant surgery.

Mastoid Surgery or Mastoidectomy is a procedure that helps remove the diseased air cells. The mastoid bone is a part of the skull filled with air cells or hollow spaces that looks like a honeycomb. Mastoid surgery effectively clears off the diseased air cells and also removes the extra benign growths in the ear that can often spread the infection into the skull.

Stapes surgery, also known as Stapedectomy, replaces the damaged stapes bone of the middle ear with an artificial device that aids in hearing. The stapes bone is one of the three tiny bones present in the middle ear. The stapes bone, also called the stirrup, is a “U-shaped bone”, which plays a vital role in transmitting the sound waves to the inner ear while vibrating. A damaged stirrup leads to hearing impairment, and in such cases, a stapes replacement surgery is a must. The stapes surgery also helps treat Osteosclerosis – a condition characterised by abnormal growths around the stapes bone.

A tympanoplasty, also known as eardrum reconstruction surgery, is a procedure that repairs or reconstructs the damaged eardrum (tympanic membrane). The eardrum is a thin layer of tympanic membrane that separates the ear canal from the middle ear. These sensitive tissues vibrate when the sound waves hit them. The eardrum is well supported by three tiny bones behind the tympanic membrane known as ossicles.