Adult cochlear implantation: the Birmingham and United Kingdom experiences

Cochlear implantation has been called a modern miracle and has probably exceeded the expectations of even its most ardent early pioneers. The capabilities of the preprogrammed brain permits patients, within minutes of activation, to appreciate common sounds not heard for many years and within days and weeks to comprehend open-set language without lip reading and even to use the telephone. In the last two decades, cochlear implantation has been widely accepted by the medical community, and rapid developments have been made in the technology and reliability of the devices by the manufacturers.