EAR

Cochlear Implant surgery

To understand how a cochlear implant system works, we first need to understand the basic mechanism of hearing. When sound waves strike the ear drum, it causes the ear drum to vibrate which sends the bones in the middle ear into motion. The fluid in the inner ear (cochlea) then transfers this motion to tiny hair cells, which absorb the movements and create electrical impulses.These impulses are then sent to the brain via the hearing nerve. Therefore the cochlea acts as a transformer, transforming the sound waves into electrical impulses which are then sent to the brain. 

If the cochlea does not function well, it is unable to transform the sound waves into electrical impulses resulting in hearing impairment.

If we are able to look inside one of the loops of the cochlear, we will be able to identify three chambers called scala vestibule, scala media and scala tympani. The organ of hearing  'Organ of Corti' is located in scale media. The hair like structures are called 'Hair cells' which help transform sound into electrical impulses. If these 'hair cells' are damaged, sound conversion does not take place resulting in hearing impairment.