Multiple-electrode cochlear implant for profound or total hearing loss: a review

Abstract

Patients who have developed a profound or total hearing loss cannot receive help with a conventional hearing aid. A promising way of restoring usable hearing and helping them communicate, however, is by electrical stimulation of residual auditory nerve fibres. Recently, single electrodes have been used to globally stimulate the auditory nerve, and patients have been helped in distinguishing voiced from unvoiced speech sounds, and in hearing the rhythm and intonation of speech. However, it is generally agreed that, if more speech information is to be conveyed to the patient, a multiple electrode system which selectively stimulates small groups of auditory nerve fibres will be required.