[Ethical and economical considerations on cochlear implants in developing countries]

An important factor that all cochlear implant teams have to deal with one way or another is the coast of the prostheses. This problem takes on very special characteristics in developing countries. This paper is based on the authors' experience in establishing the cochlear implant program of the "Hospital General Manuel Gea Gonzalez", a public hospital in Mexico City, and tries to determine which should be the optimal characteristics of an implant to be used in developing countries.