About
Dr. Wilson performs cochlear implant evaluations and programming at both of her offices. Based on the results of this evaluation, she will make the recommendation for a cochlear implant if she believes it is the most beneficial option to improve hearing and speech understanding.
Hearing aids enable millions of people with hearing loss to improve their hearing. They do this by amplifying sounds and optimizing them for the best possible benefit. However, when significant hearing loss is present as a result of damage to or malformation of the inner ear, even the most sophisticated hearing aids may not be enough to improve hearing ability to the necessary degree.
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Cochlear implants are hearing devices for people with severe or profound hearing loss due to problems with the inner ear. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of a damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of the damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.
The cochlear implant’s electrodes that deliver signals to the brain are surgically implanted into the cochlea, the organ responsible for converting sounds waves into electrical nerve impulses in the inner ear. These electrodes bypass any damage of the cochlea by sending information directly to the auditory nerve. The auditory nerve then transfers these electrical signals to the brain, where they are processed as the sounds we hear.
The most popular cochlear implant due to innovation and reliability.
CochlearTM Nucleus® System
It’s Been Called a Life Changer. It’s Been Called a Miracle. We Call It a Cochlear Implant.
When a crucial part of your inner ear isn’t working properly, you may need more than a hearing aid—you may need a cochlear implant to treat your moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The CochlearTM Nucleus® System mimics the natural hearing function of the inner ear to help make sounds louder and clearer. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the ear so sounds are better understood in both noisy and quiet environments, enabling you to hear everything from conversations in noisy restaurants to leaves rustling in the wind.
World’s thinnest implant—Cochlear Nucleus Profile Implant
The Nucleus Profile Series implant expands our large implant portfolio by providing the thinnest implant available. Its thin size and design follow the curvature of the head for the potential of a better cosmetic outcome and less time in surgery. Profile Implant also has a high impact resistance—up to 2.5 joules—which meets the European standards for impact testing.
Industry-leading innovations in electrode design for optimal hearing performance
The anatomy of the cochlea can vary from person to person which is why we offer a range of electrode shapes and lengths. Your surgeon will decide on the best one to provide your best hearing performance. Unique features of Cochlear’s electrode portfolio include:
Electrode placement is critical to hearing performance
Cochlear’s electrodes are placed where hearing nerve stimulation is most effective. In order to benefit from the full range of sound, the area closest to the hearing nerve tends to be stimulated. This area is known as the hearing zone.
Clinical research shows that deeper insertion beyond the hearing zone can be associated with deterioration in performance due to pitch confusion at the tip of the cochlea as well as damage to the delicate cochlear structures. Insertion depth along with the most active sequential contacts in the industry—22 electrodes**—help provide access to the full spectrum of sound and a richer hearing experience.
If you want to learn more about Cochlear Americas, please visit their website.
Advanced Bionics has partnered with Phonak to design a range of proven technology and innovative products that will result in better hearing in a variety of environments. From hearing aids, to cochlear implants, to bimodal, and even binaural solutions, Advanced Bionics is an industry leader in hearing solutions.
AB Cochlear Implants
Advanced Bionics provides a comprehensive range of products designed to meet your needs and your lifestyle. Our cochlear implant system (CI) offers more ways to hear than any other CI. And every aspect of our CI has been optimized for clarity, comfort, ease of use, and reliability—allowing you to hear your best.
The Naída Link Bimodal Solution
The Naída Link bimodal solution helps you hear with great ease and comfort throughout your day by using the same advanced automatic technology to react and adjust in the same way and at the same time to changing situations.
The Naída CI Bilateral Solution
Hearing with two ears provides a more balanced and focused representation of sounds. With two cochlear implants, you can take advantage of the natural way that your brain interprets sounds and their location, making it easier to find and hear what you want to hear.
The Naída Link CROS Solution
Born from Phonak CROS technology that has been proven with thousands of hearing aid users worldwide, the Naída Link CROS makes it easier to walk into any listening situation with confidence. Not only do you benefit from hearing sound from both sides, the Naída CI and Naída Link CROS microphones simultaneously and automatically adapt to different environments so that you hear better in quiet and in noise.
At Hear Again 2 and Mountain Hearing Center, we perform cochlear implant evaluations and programming. A pre-implant evaluation is necessary to determine if a patient is a candidate for a cochlear implant or not. The evaluation may include an orientation about cochlear implants and how they function, a complete hearing evaluation, and a discussion about reasonable expectations of what cochlear implants can offer. If necessary, the patient may also be referred out for a medical evaluation.
We also offer custom programming for cochlear implants. Cochlear implant programming is like hearing instrument programming since they are both based on the degree of hearing loss and the patient’s sound quality preference. Due to the many fine electrodes the cochlear implant uses, tuning a cochlear implant is a more detailed and precise process. Just like with other hearing devices, we are committed to your success and welcome you back to our office for follow-up visits and regular hearing care.
Contact our office today to learn more about what cochlear implants can do for you and your family.
Dr. Wilson performs cochlear implant evaluations and programming at both her offices. The evaluation consists of aided testing with the patient’s current hearing aids or with correctly programmed loaner hearing aids, sentence testing in quiet and with various noise levels added, and single word speech discrimination testing.
Based on the results of this evaluation, she will make the recommendation for a cochlear implant if she believes it is the most beneficial option to improve hearing and speech understanding. The criterion for reimbursement is determined by the individual insurance companies including Medicare.
Dr. Wilson will also program Advanced Bionics cochlear implants. Cochlear implant programming is similar to hearing instrument programming since they are both based on the degree hearing loss and the patient’s sound quality preference.
However, there may be electrodes that are not as viable as others so tuning the cochlear implant is more precise in some ways than hearing aids. Just like with other hearing devices, we are committed to your success and welcome you back to our office for follow-up visits and regular hearing care.
If you have any questions, or are ready to schedule an appointment, get in touch. We're here to help.
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