Cochlear Implants: The Direct Line to Better Hearing

What Are Cochlear Implants And How Do They Work?

When traditional hearing aids aren't enough, cochlear implants offer renewed hope. Dr. Jill Copley takes us deep into the fascinating world of this life-changing technology that's been transforming lives since the 1970s.

Cochlear implants represent a fundamentally different approach to treating hearing loss. Unlike conventional hearing aids that amplify sound through the natural hearing pathway, these remarkable devices bypass damaged parts of the inner ear entirely. Dr. Copley expertly breaks down how surgeons implant a small electrode array into the cochlea, creating a direct connection to the auditory nerve that carries sound signals straight to the brain. This revolutionary approach allows people with severe to profound hearing loss to perceive sounds their damaged hair cells could never process.

The journey to cochlear implantation involves comprehensive evaluation, including imaging studies to ensure the cochlea can accommodate the electrode array and psychological assessment to prepare patients for adaptation. While there are considerations and potential risks, Dr. Copley reassures listeners that complications are rare when procedures are performed by experienced specialists. The goal remains the same as with any hearing technology: improved speech understanding, better communication in noisy environments, and enhanced quality of life through restored connection to the world of sound.

Curious if cochlear implants might be right for you or someone you love? Connect with the experts at Total Hearing Care by calling 469-809-4487 or visiting TotalHearingCare.com. The journey to better hearing starts with understanding all your options, and we're here to guide you every step of the way. Because when you hear better, you truly do live better.

To learn more about Total Hearing Care visit:
https://www.TotalHearingCare.com

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Multiple Locations Across the DFW Metroplex
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Total Hearing Care Difference where we
help you experience lifethrough better hearing.
Hosted by the experts at TotalHearing Care, a leading private
audiology practice serving theDFW Metroplex, we're here to
provide guidance on hearing loss, tinnitus and the latest
advancements in audiology.
Transform your life throughbetter hearing.

(00:22):
Let's get started.
Transform your life throughbetter hearing.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Let's get started.
Cochlear implants are changinglives for those with severe
hearing loss.
Dr Jill Copley explains howthese devices bypass damaged
parts of the ear to deliversound directly to the brain, and
what that means for patients.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host andproducer, back in the studio

(00:49):
with Dr Jill Copley.
Dr Copley, how's it going?
Great, I'm excited to talkabout cochlear implants with you
today.
Yes, and I am so excited todive into this with you too.
Now, what are cochlear implantsand how do they work?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
So a cochlear implant is.
Well, let me back up.
So in the inner ear, which iscalled the cochlea, and it's the
snail shaped organ in your ear,what they're going to do a
surgeon does this.
What they're going to do asurgeon does this A surgeon will
implant a small electrode arrayinto the cochlea and then it

(01:30):
will attach to a magnet thatgoes underneath your skin, near
your ear.
On the outside, what you'llhave is a processor, and so that
processor will bring in thesound.
It's sent through the magnet tothat electrode array.
It signals the electrodes tomake a response, and that

(01:52):
response directly links up withyour auditory nerve, which goes
to the brain for processing ofsound.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Wow.
Now how do cochlear implantsdiffer from traditional hearing
aids in terms of function?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
So traditional hearing aids.
They both work similarly, buttraditional hearing aids do not
have anything surgicallyimplanted in your ear.
So hearing instruments that wethink of as hearing aids are
just sitting outside the ear, orit might be customized to sit
inside the outer ear where ifyou looked in their ear you

(02:32):
could see it, whereas a cochlearimplant is actually going to be
implanted.
Now the other difference is theway the sound goes through.
So with a hearing instrument, ahearing aid, it's going to go
through the ear canal and gothrough the middle ear, which
are where those little bones are, and then through the cochlea

(02:52):
and hit the nerve cells, andthen that will send a signal to
the brain.
A cochlear implant, on theother hand, when you put the
electrode array through thecochlea, you're actually
destroying the nerve cells thatmay be left and you're directly
linking up with the auditorynerve, and so it bypasses and I

(03:15):
know you'll talk about this alittle later, but it bypasses
some of that damaged nerve cellsand it's also going to bypass
what's going on through thatouter ear.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Now can you walk us through what kind of hearing
improvement progress patientscan typically expect?

Speaker 3 (03:39):
So we're looking for similar improvements between
just hearing instruments andcochlear implants.
So what you want to notice whenyou get an implant is what you
would think of with any hearingdevice.
You want to be able tounderstand people better.
You want to be able tounderstand in background noise
better.
You want to be able tounderstand on the phone, you

(04:02):
want to be able to understandthe TV, and so it's very similar
.
You're basically wanting tounderstand those things around
you.
So that's no different betweenthe two.
It's just the way they work,that's a little different.

Speaker 2 (04:20):
What other questions might you have for me on this?
So my next question kind oftouches on something that you
got into a little bit what partsof the ear do cochlear implants
bypass?
I know we discussed this alittle bit, but why is it so
important?

Speaker 3 (04:37):
So what we're looking at with a hearing loss.
When you're a candidate for acochlear implant, that means
that your hearing loss isprobably severe to profound.
The nerve cells in your ear atthat point are either not there
or they are not functioning likethey should, and so what we

(04:59):
wanna do is bypass that damage,and so we directly link up with
the auditory nerve and sendthose signals to the auditory
nerve, instead of trying to sendthe signals through those nerve
cells that are already damaged.
Now, in order to do that, wealso are bypassing the outer ear
and the middle ear, which againhave your ossicles or those

(05:21):
little bones there.
But that is the best way thatthey have found to do this, and
this has been done since the 70sand 80s.
They've known how to do this,and so, like you said, cochlear
implants have been around quitea while, and they've come a long
way to help people when hearinginstruments just aren't enough
to help them anymore.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh yes, I 100% agree with you.
Now, are there any risks orlimitations people should be
aware of before considering acochlear implant?

Speaker 3 (05:54):
So, unlike hearing instruments, you're going to
have to go through more testingto see if you can get a cochlear
implant.
A main thing is you'll probablyhave an MRI or some kind of
imaging of your ear because theyneed to make sure that the
cochlea is sound enough pardonthe pun but is good enough to
basically put those electrodesinto it.

(06:16):
There are some disorders wherethat bone actually hardens and a
surgeon can't get in there.
So that's one of the thingsthey have to look at.
They also have to look at apsychological profile, because
cochlear implants can take alittle longer to get used to
because the sound is differentthan a person would be used to.
They want to make sure you'regoing to stick with the program

(06:39):
or that you have family tosupport you, to help you
practice and make sure you'reusing the cochlear implant as
you should.
Now some other medical risks.
And I've always told mypatients if you go to see a good
neuro-otologist who does thecochlear implants, you're not
going to have any problems.

(06:59):
But of course there are certainrisks.
Certain risks where you couldlose all of your hearing.
You could have trouble withyour vagus nerve, which is your
coughing nerve.
It could affect your facialnerve because it is a surgery
and it is considered very closeto neurosurgery.
But when you have a physicianthat's done a lot of these, you

(07:23):
really are not going to havethose issues.
The final risk is that it justdoesn't work.
They implant it and it justdoesn't function like you'd want
it to.
But I don't hear of thathappening very often.
But that is a risk.

Speaker 2 (07:40):
Wow, Dr Copley, thank you for breaking down such a
powerful tool in hearing caretoday.
We'll see you next time on theTotal Hearing Care Difference
podcast.
Thank you so much.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
We'll see you.

Speaker 1 (07:54):
Thank you for listening to the Total Hearing
Care Difference.
If you're in the DFW Metroplexand ready to take the next step
toward better hearing, call469-809-4487 to book an
appointment or visitTotalHearingCarecom, because
when you hear better, you livebetter.
See you next time.