Cochlear implant application with postlingually deaf patients

Abstract

Through last several decades, cochlear implant has been fully recognized for treatment of profound hearing loss. Modern technology development enabled unimagined possibilities in technical qualities of the device, as well as development of usable coding strategies, which led to extraordinary results of patient rehabilitation. It is well known that postlingually deaf implanted patients show better results than prelingually deaf implanted patients. This is to be understood, concerning the fact of matured hearing paths and centers of CNS, presence of developed speech in patients postlingually deaf, contrary to prelingually deaf patients in whom the development of hearing paths and centers is yet to be established only after cochlear implantation. Accordingly, this is a case report of male adult patient B.D. who was implanted because of complete deafness following the application of gentamicin. The results of implantation were excellent and fully justified the choice of the patient for CI application.

Keywords

• cochlear implant
• prelingual deafness
• postlingual deafness