title: Cochlear implantation: an overview of existing implants.
abstract: Cochlear implants (CI) bypass the external and middle ear and parts of the inner ear, by delivering electrical stimuli to the remaining neural fibres of the acoustic nerve in a meaningful way. Many features of current CI are similar. They are all multi-channel devices with intracochlear placement of the active electrodes and with transcutaneous information and energy transfer. Factors affecting the auditory performance of CI recipients are patient-linked factors and device factors. An overview is given of key design parameters, processing characteristics and specifications of following CI platforms: Clarion S-Series, Combi 40 and Combi 40+, Digisonic DX 10, Laura-Flex and nucleus CI22 and CI24M. These data, combined with outcome parameters can enhance the information of CI-teams, patients or parents of children in their decision making process when faced with a hearing impairment to such an extent that hearing aids are of little or no benefit.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Otorhinolaryngology and Communication Disorders; University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Van de Heyning
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: D'Haese
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koekelkoren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Bodt
mesh_terms: D019929:Cochlear Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003638:Deafness / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires