Cochlear Implant News and Research

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SOECIC announces UK's first operation to fit single cochlear implant to give sound in both ears

The UK's first operation to fit a single cochlear implant capable of giving sound in both ears takes place this Friday (27 August), thanks to the work of the South of England Cochlear Implant Centre (SOECIC), based at the University of Southampton.

26 Aug 2010

New device could improve conventional cochlear implants

More electrodes and a thinner, more flexible wire inserted further into the inner ear could improve conventional cochlear implants, a team of Medical College of Georgia and Georgia Institute of Technology researchers say.

2 Jul 2010

Research on genetic mutations could lead to accurate diagnosis of USH, says scientist

Usher syndrome, an inherited condition involving both hearing and vision loss, is not a simply recessively inherited disease, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday). Dr. Hanno Bolz, Associate Medical Director of the Bioscientia Centre for Human Genetics, Ingelheim, Germany, and active in teaching and research at the University Hospital of Cologne, will say that his team's research challenges the traditional view that USH was inherited as a single gene disorder, and shows that it may result from at least two different genetic mutations.

14 Jun 2010

Receiving cochlear implant before 18 months of age improves child's ability to hear: Study

Receiving a cochlear implant before 18 months of age dramatically improves a deaf child's ability to hear, understand and, eventually, speak, according to a multicenter study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins.

21 Apr 2010

Cochlear implantation improves comprehension and spoken language expression in children under 5

Children under 5 years of age with severe hearing loss who underwent cochlear implantation experienced greater improvement in comprehension and expression in spoken language than would be predicted from their pre-implantation language scores, with younger age at implantation associated with greater improvements, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Auditory brainstem implants for adults with damaged cochlear nerves

If a siren sounded but you were deaf, might you still be able to hear the sound?

23 Mar 2010

Early implantation of cochlear devices in deaf children leads to better overall quality of life

Profoundly deaf children with cochlear implants to help them to hear rate their quality of life equal to their normal-hearing peers, according to new research from UT Southwestern Medical Center auditory specialists.

24 Feb 2010

Early Cochlear implantation removes word-learning skill defects in deaf children

Learning words may be facilitated by early exposure to auditory input, according to research presented by the Indiana University School of Medicine at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in San Diego, Feb. 18-22.

22 Feb 2010

Cochlear implantation enables quality of life equal to normal hearing peers

Children who have cochlear implants (CI) rank their quality of life (QOL) equal to their normally hearing (NH) peers, indicates new research in the February 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Feb 2010

Findings may pave way for significant advancements in cochlear implant technology for hearing loss

Loss of spiral ganglion neurons or hair cells in the inner ear is the leading cause of congenital and acquired hearing impairment. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health found that Sox2, a protein that regulates stem cell formation, is involved in spiral ganglion neuron development. The study was published in the January 13 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

13 Jan 2010

Sonova Group achieves year-on-year sales growth of 18.2%

The Sonova Group achieved sales of CHF 709.2 million in the first half of 2009/10, representing year-on-year sales growth of 18.2% in Swiss francs. Organic sales growth of 17.5% in local currencies was well above the estimated market growth of around 3% in units. Numerous smaller acquisitions in Europe, Asia/Pacific and North America contributed a total of 4.3% to sales growth.

10 Nov 2009

Sonova Holding to acquire Advanced Bionics

Advanced Bionics (AB), the only U.S.-based manufacturer of cochlear implants (or “bionic ears”), announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Sonova Holding AG, the world’s leading provider of hearing systems.

9 Nov 2009

Sonova Holding enters into a share purchase agreement with shareholders of Advanced Bionics

Sonova Holding AG, the world's leading provider of hearing systems, announced today that it has entered into a share purchase agreement with the shareholders of Advanced Bionics Corporation, Los Angeles, USA.

9 Nov 2009

A study on development of deaf children fitted with a Cochlear Implant

A multidisciplinary group at Malaga University, headed by Ignacio Moreno-Torres, is collecting information on the milestones that mark the development of deaf children fitted with a Cochlear Implant (CI) and studying to what extent the social and family environment affects this development. This research is funded with 101,000 euro by the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Innovation.

15 Oct 2009

Cochlear implant inventor chosen for neuroscience research

Dr. Michael Merzenich, PhD - renowned neuroscientist, university professor, cochlear implant inventor, brain plasticity expert and tech entrepreneur - was formally inducted in the Institute of Medicine (IOM) today in Washington, D.C.

13 Oct 2009

FDA approves Cochlear's Nucleus 5 System

Cochlear, the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Nucleus((R) )5 System for adults and children with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

9 Sep 2009

Physicians perform rare surgery to restore hearing to a deaf patient

Marisela Leon, 44, has neurofibromatosis type 2 -- a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves in the brain or spinal cord, but most commonly on the auditory nerve. Leon lost her hearing more than four years ago when surgery to remove a tumor damaged her auditory nerve.

22 Dec 2008

Magnetic imaging devices may damage cochlear implants

Patients with cochlear implants may want to steer clear of certain magnetic imaging devices, such as 3T MRI machines, because the machines can demagnetize the patient's implant, according to new research published in the December 2008 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Dec 2008

Advanced Bionics settles with FDA

Advanced Bionics agreed to settle an administrative complaint arising from a disagreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

18 Jul 2008

Bilateral cochlear implants: A case when two are definitely superior to one

A study of cochlear implant patients seen by Indiana University School of Medicine physicians is the first research to show evidence that cochlear implants in both ears significantly improves quality of life in patients with profound hearing loss and that the cost of the second implant is offset by its benefits.

30 May 2008