Cochlear implants: current status and future potential

Abstract

This article reviews the current status of cochlear implantation in both adults and children, including expanding candidacy groups, bilateral implantation, advances in speech processing software, internal and external device hardware, surgical techniques and outcomes. Promising advances, novel therapies and evolving concepts are also highlighted in terms of their future impact on clinical outcomes.

Keywords::

• bilateral implantation
• cochlear implant candidacy
• cochlear implants
• deafness
• design
• electro-acoustic stimulation
• electrodes
• partial deafness
• programming
• speech processing

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Rienzi Foundation for Cochlear Implant Research. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.