segunda-feira, 23 de abril de 2012

Bionic Hearing

According to WHO data, hearing loss affects over 15 million people in Brazil
Stock Photos, Divulgação  / 
Cochlear implant is an electronic computerized equipment, which stimulates the auditory nerve via electrical impulses
Photo: Stock Photos, Disclosure
Listen to music, watch the birds singing or listening to the sounds that permeate daily life seems to be trivial and common to all, but some people are not born with this privilege or lose later in life. According to the Brazilian Society of Otology, every thousand children born in the country, three to five have hearing loss.
- Hearing problems can also be caused by exposure to loud noise, degenerative diseases and infections - ENT says Rita Guimarães Cassou, who is also otoneurologists and master in surgery UFPR.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss affects over 15 million people in Brazil. The hearing is one of several existing techniques to restore hearing, but does not solve all cases.
- Some people suffer from severe or total deafness and hearing aid is not sufficient to correct the problem. For more serious situations, after undergoing a rigorous evaluation process, it is recommended a cochlear implant, also known as the bionic ear - clarifies.
The cochlear implant is a computerized electronic equipment, which stimulates the auditory nerve via electrical impulses. It is surgically implanted in the patient and is considered more advanced use today for the treatment of deafness.
- Small electrodes are implanted in the cochlea, organ of hearing located in the inner ear and stimulates the production of signals to the brain. The bionic ear is a sophisticated device with complex technology and brings good results - points.
Two units comprise the cochlear implant - the internal and external. The inside has the electrodes, which will connect to a receiver located in the region behind the ear, which also is surgically implanted under the skin. With the receiver is also put an antenna and a magnet.
- The magnet is used to secure the unit outside the patient's head and the antenna has the function to receive the electrical signals. The receiver acts as a decoder of signals - highlights the otolaryngologist.
The external drive is the visible part of the implant and consists of a transmitting antenna, a microphone and speech processor. The microphone used to capture ambient sound and transmit to the speech processor, which in turn analyzes the sound and transforms it into electrical impulses that are sent to the transmitting antenna.
- The antenna transmits the signal until it reaches the internal drive. There the signal is decoded and sent to the electrodes, which will stimulate the auditory nerve. This stimulus is interpreted by the brain as sound and the patient recovers part of the hearing - he explains.
The results depend on the history of each patient. Children who are born deaf should be deployed as early as possible, since they have great results while adults over 10 years of deafness reach intermediate results.
- Patients with neurological diseases or syndromes with malformed cochlea normally present results somewhat lower. Remember that other factors determine the success or failure of treatment and assessment of patients' expectations and speech rehabilitation after implantation which shows that each individual should be evaluated by an interdisciplinary team - notes.

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