Artificial hearing: an implanted auditory prosthesis for treatment of total binaural deafness

Extensive clinical investigation of the cochlear implant, both in adults and children, has provided evidence of significant benefit with relatively minimal risk. Work is in progress world-wide to develop improved cochlear implant device. Meanwhile, an auditory prosthesis is now available for the profoundly deaf patient who could not be successfully treated in the past. It is the result of interaction between medicine and engineering, and represents a new approach to the treatment of profound deafness.