Hearing implants
How do we actually hear?
Here you can find out which implant hearing solution is suitable for the treatment of different types of hearing loss.
Bone-anchored hearing aids
Find out how the sound line over the bone works and how you can enjoy the natural sound diversity in your life again.
Cochlear Hearing Implants
If your cochlea is damaged, a cochlear implant can take over the function of the inner ear.
How do we actually hear?
The human hearing process is a complex and fascinating series of steps that allows us to perceive and interpret sound. It all starts with the outer ear, which collects sound waves and transmits them through the ear canal to the eardrum. This thin membrane separates the outer ear from the middle ear, where three tiny bones (hammer, anvil and stirrup – the ossicular chain) begin to vibrate in response to the movements of the eardrum. These vibrations are transmitted to the inner ear, where there is a fluid-filled structure called a cochlea. The cochlea contains thousands of tiny hair sensory cells that convert mechanical energy into electrical signals that are sent to the brain via the auditory nerve. Once the signals reach the brain, they are interpreted as meaningful sounds, be it music, speech, or warning signals. Unfortunately, hearing loss or impairment can occur at any stage of this process, affecting our ability to communicate and interact with the world around us.
Cochlear implants
A cochlear implant is an electronic hearing prosthesis for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and whose auditory nerve is still functional. It consists of an implant that is inserted into the inner ear and a speech processor that is worn behind the ear like a hearing aid. Or in the form of a round disc, slightly larger and thicker in diameter than a 2 euro coin, worn directly on the upper, outer back of the head and can be hidden under the hair if necessary.
The cochlear implant works by converting the sound waves picked up by the speech processor’s microphone into electrical impulses. These pulses are transmitted to a receiving coil in the implant via a transmitting coil that adheres to the scalp. The implant transmits the impulses via an electrode array to the auditory nerve, which sends them to the brain. There they are perceived as acoustic information.
The cochlear implant can therefore replace the function of the damaged sensory cells in the cochlea, which normally convert the sound waves into electrical signals. However, hearing with a cochlear implant is not comparable to natural hearing. It requires intensive auditory training and adaptation to artificial sound quality.
Bone-anchored hearing aids
A bone-anchored hearing aid is used by people with hearing loss who cannot or do not want to wear conventional hearing aids. This type of hearing aid conducts sound directly through the bone to the inner ear, bypassing the external auditory canal and middle ear.
A bone-anchored hearing aid consists of two parts: a titanium bone implant, in the form of a screw, and an external sound processor. The air-acoustic sound signal is processed in the sound processor and converted into mechanical vibrations. and transferred to the implant. The implant vibrates and transmits the vibrations through the skull bone to the inner ear, where they are perceived as sound.
The possible uses of a bone-anchored hearing aid are manifold. It can help with different types of hearing loss, such as:
- Conductive hearing loss or combined hearing loss with a bone conduction threshold of 45 dB
- Conventional hearing aids are not possible or undesirable
- Hearing improvement by microsurgery of the middle ear not possible or not sufficient
- Unilateral or bilateral ear atresia (with or without microtia), i.e. malformations of the external auditory canal
- Unilateral deafness, in which sound is transmitted directly to the healthy ear via bone conduction.
A bone-anchored hearing aid can improve the quality of life of people with hearing loss by allowing them to communicate better, perceive ambient sounds, and enjoy music.