Cochlear Implant

Cochlear Implant Surgery in India

A cochlear implant is required for people who have hearing problems that cannot be sorted by using a normal hearing aid. A cochlear implant is a surgical procedure that places the implant in the inner ear to enable people with severe hearing problems to hear sounds. Cochlear implant cost in India is lower than most western nations and it is one of the most popular medical reasons health tourists from across the world choose India for.  

What is Cochlear Implant? 

The cochlear implant device is an electronic device, not similar to a hearing aid. The implant is placed inside the ear through a surgery and it functions completely differently. The surgical procedure places the first part of the device in the ear surrounding the temporal bone (ear). The first part contains a receiver stimulator that receives, decodes and finally sends an electric signal to the brain.

The second part of the implant is an outside device. It has an antenna, a receiver, and a speech processor. It receives the sound, then converts the sound into an electrical signal and finally sends the sound to the inner part of the device. 

A Cochlear Implant System comprises of 

Sound processor: It is an external component that captures and converts the sounds into digital signals.

Coil: The coil sends the signals to the inner ear via the coils.

Electrodes: The signals are converted to electrical impulses. These impulses are an sent to the cochlear by an electrode array.

The signal is delivered to the brain by the hearing nerve and sound is heard.

Cochlear Transplant Tourism in India

Cochlear Transplant is popular in India. As the cochlear implant costs in India is just a fraction of what it costs in developed western nations, a lot of patients travel to India to get the Implants surgically placed in their ears. The cochlear implant surgery costs in India starts from USD 13,000 which is about one ninth of the costs in USA ($100,000). While medical tourists from Africa, Americas, Europe and our neighboring countries such as Bangladesh flock to India for cost-effectiveness, the expertise, and technology used in India are by no means inferior to the procedures or technologies of Western nations.

Cochlear Implant Care in India

A cochlear implant is usually a Minimal Invasive Technique surgery performed under anesthetic conditions. The implant may be placed in one or both ears together. Indian professionals, like the foreign surgeons, make an incision from the ear upwards and then backward on the scalp which exposes the bone in the ear canal.
 
The bone thus exposed creates a bed that is spacious enough for the implant. A tunnel of diameter 1 to 2 mm is then drilled through the mastoid bone using a specific perforator to enter the middle ear. The ear canal opens the middle ear and electrodes are placed in the cochlear. Usually, the patient needs to stay 24 hours in hospital after the surgery in India. 

Best Hospitals for Cochlear Transplant Surgery in India

• Fortis Hospital, Delhi 
• Metro Hospitals, Delhi NCR
• BLK Hospital, Delhi
• Apollo Hospital, Chennai
• Max Superspecialty Hospital, Saket 
• Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi