title: MED-EL Cochlear implants: state of the art and a glimpse into the future.
abstract: Cochlear implantation is an accepted treatment method for adults and children with severe to profound hearing loss. Confidence in technology has led to changes in individuals who can receive a cochlear implant and changes in expected benefit with a cochlear implant. This article describes the research and development activities at MED-EL, which make possible the implementation of new speech-coding strategies as well as the application of acoustic and electric stimulation via a combined speech processor in MED-EL devices. Research on benefits from bilateral cochlear implantation and electric-acoustic stimulation are also reviewed. Finally, the potential of drug delivery systems is considered as a way to improve cochlear implant outcomes, and results from preliminary evaluations of a hybrid cochlear implant system with drug delivery capabilities are reported.
authors.affiliation: MED-EL, Fürstenweg 77a, Innsbruck, Austria. ingeborg.hochmair@medel.com
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hochmair
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nopp
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jolly
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Hansjörg
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schösser
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garnham
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D003054:Cochlear Implants / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D006312:Hearing Loss, Bilateral / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D011474:Prosthesis Design