Cochlear Implant:
If you have a severe-to-profound hearing loss and hearing aids no longer work adequately for you, the time might be right to explore a cochlear implant.

A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Unlike other kinds of hearing aids, the cochlear implant does not amplify sound, but works by directly stimulating the hearing nerve fibers that originate in the cochlea with electrical impulses. This is effective for most people with severe to profound hearing loss because the hearing nerve is usually preserved in these individuals, while the hearing loss is due to damage to other structures in the cochlea, like the inner ear hair cells.

An implant does not restore or create normal hearing. Instead, under the appropriate conditions, it can give a deaf person a useful auditory understanding of the environment and help them to understand speech, although post-implantation speech therapy may be required. According to researchers at the University of Michigan, approximately 100,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants; roughly half are children and half are adults.

External components of the cochlear implant include a microphone, speech processor and transmitter. The implanted part of the device is usually placed through a small incision behind the ear as part of an outpatient procedure. 
If you wish to be evaluated to assess your candidacy for cochlear implantation, please contact the Ear Institute of Texas and make an appointment.
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Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (Baha®)
The bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha) is a bone-conduction hearing aid that allows direct bone-conduction through a titanium implant. It has become available as an acceptable alternative if an air-conduction hearing aid is contraindicated. The principle of the Baha is simple: sound vibrations are directly transmitted to the skull bone via a skin-penetrating titanium implant. Then the sound vibrations are further transmitted to the cochlea, bypassing the middle ear canal, eardrum, and middle ear. Several clinical trials have shown its efficacy in patients with a conductive or mixed hearing loss. Indications for the BAHA include hearing loss from congenital ear problems, chronic otitis media, and in some cases otosclerosis as a treatment option in those who cannot or will not undergo stapedectomy. A second group of potential candidates are patients who suffer from an almost instantaneous skin reaction to any kind of ear mold. In some patients, the benefits are not necessarily those in hearing ability but relate to cosmetic or comfort improvements. Preoperative assessment of the size of the air-bone gap is of some help to predict whether speech recognition may improve with the BAHA compared with the air-conduction hearing aid. If the gain and maximum output of the implantable hearing aid is improved in the future, the implant may be able to provide intelligible hearing also to patients with a severe sensorineural hearing loss. The surgery can be performed under either a local or general anesthetic and is often covered by insurance.
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