The Cochlear Implant Center
Background:
On April 30, 2003, the first cochlear implantation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center was performed on a three year-old girl with congenital deafness. This achievement was possible through the hard work and dedication of the cochlear implant team at UMMC, and the support of the administration in the Hospital and the Medical School. Since that surgery, over 50 people have received implants at our institution, in most cases allowing them the opportunity to communicate with the normal-hearing world.
Who is a Candidate?
Profoundly deaf infants may be screened and referred for early intervention. Those who show little improvement can be implanted at twelve months of age, and in some instances earlier than that. Older children and adults with severe to profound hearing loss who do not receive substantial benefit from hearing aids may also be candidates. Patients who communicate orally and lose their hearing over time are ideal candidates. Adults who communicate with sign language only tend to be poor candidates.
Brant Jones, 2003 cochlear implant recipient
and 2005 Children's Miracle Network Champion.
What are the Expected Outcomes?
Virtually all implant recipients benefit from increased environmental sound awareness and improved communication through auditory and visual cues. Depending on the age at implantation, the communication skills of the individual, and the motivation of the family, over half of the recipients become orally conversant and some can even communicate by telephone. Children implanted within the first few years of life who are placed in an aggressive speech and language program will usually be mainstreamed into regular classrooms by age five or six.
What is the Process?
Families of individuals interested in receiving a cochlear implant should contact the Cochlear Implant Team at the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center by calling (601) 984-5160, or fill out an application and return it to the address at the bottom of the form. Upon return of the completed application, the family will be contacted for evaluation. A cochlear implant evaluation consists of testing with the audiologist and speech-language pathologist, as well as meeting with a social worker. The families are counseled that the implant is not a “magic bullet” that will instantly restore hearing, and rehabilitation is essential to success. Those who are deemed candidates, and demonstrate realistic expectations as well as a commitment to fully participate in the rehabilitation process will then meet with the surgeon and undergo a CT scan of the temporal bones.
What happens after the Surgery?
The implantation surgery lasts about two hours and is done as an outpatient or as an overnight stay. Intraoperative testing is usually done to check the integrity of the device and at what stimulus level the cochlear nerve is stimulated. About a month later, initial programming is done. Multiple sessions are required to “fine-tune” the processing and stimulus level of the implant. The recipient also has multiple visits with a speech-language pathologist to assess progress and work on ongoing therapy. Pre-lingually deaf recipients are encouraged to enroll in an oral school for the deaf, or participate in oral classes as much as possible.
 
A staircase in the Vatican museum (photo courtesy of Paul Hurst) resembling the cochlear structure.
New Frontiers in Implantable Hearing Devices:
On April 14, 2006, the first bilateral implant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center was performed at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. A bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) program is being developed for adults and children who suffer from conductive hearing loss and desire to hear better than with their conventional hearing aids. The Department will also be participating in a national multicenter study tracking cochlear implant patients.
Patient Resources:
Cochlear Implant General Information
What is a Cochlear Implant?
Introduction to Cochlear Implants
How Implants Work
Cochlear Implant Simulations
Listening Demos
Cochlear Implant Manufacturers
Cochlear, Inc.
Med-El
Advanced Bionics
For Questions or Emergency Care:
Call the office at 601-984-5160. You may need to speak with the doctor on-call.
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