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Summary
A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound. People who are profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing can get help from them. The implant consists of two parts. One part sits on the outside of the body, behind the ear. A second part is surgically placed under the skin.
An implant does not restore normal hearing. It can help a person understand speech. Children and adults can benefit from them.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Related Issues
- Benefits and Risks of Cochlear Implants (Food and Drug Administration)
- Use of Vaccines to Prevent Meningitis in Persons with Cochlear Implants (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Videos and Tutorials
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Hearing and the cochlea
(Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
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Quick Statistics about Hearing
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The (in)visibility of deafness: Identity, stigma, quality of life and the potential...
- Article: Rate dependent neural responses of interaural-time-difference cues in fine-structure and envelope.
- Article: On the Feasibility of Using Behavioral Listening Effort Test Methods to...
- Cochlear Implants -- see more articles
Find an Expert
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Directory of Organizations (Deafness and Communication Disorders)
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders)
- Find an Audiologist (American Academy of Audiology)
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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Children
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Cochlear Implant (For Parents)
(Nemours Foundation)
- Cochlear Implants (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Cochlear implant (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish