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A decision for life
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Deaf children can learn to hear with a cochlea implant – but only if they undergo the operation in early childhood. Ear surgeon Alexander Huber from University Hospital Zurich is carrying out a study to discover how the implants can be fitted without damaging the inner ear.
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«We want to make the right decision for our child.»Surgery or no surgery? Parents whose children are born deaf or with a severe hearing impairment are faced with a difficult decision: should their child be fitted with a cochlea implant in their inner ear, or should they wait until medicine has progressed and can offer a biological solution? “Cochlea implants have proved effective in technical terms,” explains Alexander Huber, Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospital Zurich. Huber and his team at the Cochlea Implant Center operate on around 80 patients annually, a third of whom are children.
The implant directly stimulates the auditory nerve. “With speech and hearing therapy, children can thus learn to hear and have a good chance of being able to attend a regular school and integrate into the hearing community,” says Huber. In order for the area of the brain responsible for hearing to develop properly, the operation should be carried out in early childhood.
The downside of the implant, however, is that the operation damages and scars the delicate structures in the inner ear. “Up until now, if parents opt for the operation, they are excluding the possibility of implementing promising biological methods such as stem cell therapy,” explains the specialist. “The damage to the inner ear is irreversible. The children’s remaining hearing ability is destroyed when the implant is fitted, meaning they are dependent on implanted technological devices for the rest of their lives.”
Professor Huber wants to make sure parents are not faced with this impossible decision in future. To this end, he is developing a monitoring system that aims to discover what causes the trauma to the inner ear during surgery. His next step will be to develop a surgical method that does not cause trauma to the ear and is less invasive. The project is scheduled to last five years and is being realized with the support of the Masikini Foundation.
100% financed
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Project management
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Prof. Dr. Alexander Huber
Director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
Head of the Cochlea Implant Center
University Hospital Zurich
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Supporting partner
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Masikini Foundation