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Cochlear Implant Evaluation

Hearing tests, scans and talks with the team that show whether a cochlear implant would help you or your child hear more than hearing aids can.

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Cochlear Implant Evaluation at Prakash Hospital, ENT
Test duration
Several visits over a few weeks
Anaesthesia
None; sedation for some child tests
Hospital stay
None
Results
Discussed once all tests are done
On this page

Overview

Your hearing aids used to help. Now you turn them up and still catch only half of what's said, especially when the whole family is talking at once. Or your baby didn't pass the newborn hearing screen and doesn't turn towards your voice. When hearing loss is severe to profound, even powerful hearing aids may not make speech clear enough to follow.

A hearing aid makes sound louder. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged hair cells of the inner ear (the cochlea) and stimulates the hearing nerve directly with tiny electrical signals. It has two parts: a receiver with a thin electrode, placed inside the cochlea during surgery, and a sound processor worn behind the ear. Cochlear implant evaluation is the set of tests that decides whether you're likely to benefit and whether surgery is safe for you.

An implant doesn't restore normal hearing, and the benefit builds over months of listening practice. Most adults who lost their hearing after learning to speak understand speech far better than they did with hearing aids, and many can use the phone. Children born deaf do much better when implanted early, ideally around their first birthday, because the brain picks up language most easily in the first years.

Our ENT department carries out full audiological assessments, including pure tone and impedance audiometry, and guides you to the right solution: medical treatment, hearing aids, or surgery such as a cochlear implant. If an implant is the answer, we'll explain the surgery, programming and rehabilitation that follow, and where each takes place.

Why the test is done

Evaluation is offered when hearing loss in both ears is severe enough that well-fitted hearing aids no longer give useful speech understanding. The exact criteria vary with age and between implant programmes.

  • Adults with severe to profound hearing loss in both ears who understand little speech even with hearing aids
  • Babies and toddlers with profound hearing loss confirmed on objective tests, who aren't progressing with hearing aids
  • Hearing loss after meningitis, where bone can grow inside the cochlea and evaluation is urgent
  • Sudden profound deafness in both ears that hasn't recovered with treatment
  • Profound deafness in one ear with good hearing in the other, which some programmes now consider

Preparing for the evaluation

  • Bring all earlier hearing reports, scans and the details of your hearing aids
  • Wear your hearing aids, with charged batteries, since some tests are done with them on
  • For a child, bring the newborn hearing screen result, and note when you first had concerns
  • Avoid loud noise such as firecrackers or loud machinery for a day before your hearing tests
  • For children's tests done asleep or under sedation, we'll tell you whether to keep your child awake beforehand or fast them
  • Before an MRI, tell us about any metal in your body, a pacemaker, or fear of enclosed spaces
  • Bring a family member, since much of the evaluation is discussion

What happens during the evaluation

  1. 01

    History and ear examination

    Your ENT specialist asks when and how the hearing loss started, about family history and illnesses such as meningitis, and examines your ears under the microscope.

  2. 02

    Hearing tests

    Pure tone audiometry finds the softest sounds you can hear at each pitch, and impedance audiometry checks the eardrum and middle ear. Speech tests, done with your hearing aids on, measure how many words and sentences you understand.

  3. 03

    Tests for babies and young children

    Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and brainstem response tests (ABR or BERA) use small sensors to measure how the ear and hearing nerve respond to sound, so the child doesn't have to answer. Most children sleep through them.

  4. 04

    CT and MRI scans

    A CT scan of the inner ear and an MRI of the hearing nerve are usually done on a separate day. Young children often need sedation to lie still for the MRI.

  5. 05

    Medical and development checks

    Your fitness for anaesthesia is checked, along with vaccinations that protect against meningitis. For children, a speech therapist and a paediatrician assess language and development.

  6. 06

    Counselling and the decision

    The results are reviewed together. You and your family then talk through whether an implant is recommended, for which ear, what it can and can't do, and the months of therapy it needs.

Understanding your results

Implant candidates usually have severe to profound loss, which means even raised voices aren't heard clearly without aids. The speech scores matter just as much. If you still understand only a small share of words with well-fitted hearing aids, an implant is likely to do better.

The scans show whether the cochlea is normally formed and open, and whether the hearing nerve is present. A missing nerve or a completely blocked cochlea may rule an implant out, or point to other devices offered at specialised centres.

The team will then usually say one of three things. An implant is likely to help and surgery is recommended. You'd do as well for now with better-fitted or more powerful hearing aids, with regular retesting. Or an implant isn't suitable, and the alternatives are explained.

Benefits and risks

Benefits

  • Tells you clearly whether an implant is likely to help before any surgery is planned
  • Finds the cause of the hearing loss, which sometimes turns out to be treatable
  • Makes sure hearing aids have been properly fitted and tried first
  • Gives your family realistic expectations and a plan for therapy

Possible risks

  • A CT scan involves a small dose of radiation, kept as low as possible in children
  • Sedation for scans in young children carries a small risk, and your child is monitored
  • After implant surgery, dizziness, altered taste and wound problems are the more common issues, and usually settle
  • Facial nerve injury and meningitis after implant surgery are rare, and vaccination lowers the meningitis risk
  • An implant may destroy any natural hearing left in that ear, which is why the choice of ear matters

If an implant is recommended

If an implant is recommended, the evaluation is the first step of a longer process.

  1. 01

    Implant surgery

    Under general anaesthesia, the surgeon makes a cut behind the ear, drills a small path through the bone to the middle ear, and slides the electrode into the cochlea. The receiver sits under the skin. Surgery usually takes 2 to 3 hours, with 1 to 2 nights in hospital, and most adults are back at desk work within 1 to 2 weeks.

  2. 02

    Switch-on

    About 2 to 4 weeks after surgery, an audiologist fits the processor and turns it on. Sounds often seem mechanical at first. Programming sessions (mapping) over the next months fine-tune the settings.

  3. 03

    The first year and beyond

    Progress depends on daily listening practice, auditory therapy and regular mapping. Many adults notice real gains within 3 to 6 months. Children need years of therapy and family involvement to develop spoken language.

When to call your doctor

  • Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears. See an ENT doctor within a day or two, because early treatment works better
  • A child who stops responding to sounds or loses words they used to say
  • Hearing loss with severe dizziness, weakness of the face or a bad headache
  • After implant surgery: fever, a severe headache with a stiff neck, or swelling, redness or discharge over the implant

Call us on +91-8826000033 or come straight to our 24/7 emergency department.

Other options for severe hearing loss

More powerful or better-fitted hearing aids

Modern digital hearing aids, properly fitted and tuned, help many people with severe hearing loss. They're always tried first.

Sign language, lip-reading and assistive devices

Some adults and families prefer sign language, lip-reading, captions and vibrating alerts, with or without an implant. That's a valid choice.

Talk to our ENT team

Ask about your options, the cost and your insurance before you decide. See the insurance and TPA panels we work with.

Book an Appointment+91-8826000033

This page explains Cochlear Implant Evaluation in general terms. Your own plan depends on your health, your test results and your doctor's advice. Please read our medical disclaimer.

Your care team

Cochlear Implant Evaluation is led by our ENT team, with other departments stepping in at each stage of your care.

ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Department
Leads your treatment

ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Department

At Prakash Hospital, our ENT Department offers expert diagnosis and advanced treatments for ear, nose, throat, head, and neck conditions, ensuring better health and quality of life for all ages.

What the department treats

Sinus Surgery (FESS)

Tympanoplasty

Septoplasty

Tonsillectomy

Hearing Aid Fitting

Allergy Management

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Other departments involved

Pediatric

Assesses your child's development, general health and vaccinations before candidacy is decided.

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Diagnostic

Performs the CT and MRI scans of the inner ear and hearing nerve.

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Meet the specialists

Related procedures

Procedures often considered alongside Cochlear Implant Evaluation, or that treat related conditions.

Tympanoplasty

Closes a hole in the eardrum with your own tissue to stop ear discharge and protect or improve hearing.

Adenoidectomy

Removes enlarged adenoids that block a child's nose, disturb sleep or keep causing ear infections.

Microlaryngoscopy

Examines the vocal cords under a microscope to remove growths or take a biopsy, working through the mouth.

FESS (Sinus Surgery)

Endoscopic surgery through the nose that clears blocked sinuses and polyps when medicines stop working.

More in ENT

Other procedures our ENT team performs.

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Tonsillectomy

Removes tonsils that cause repeated throat infections or block a child's breathing during sleep.

Septoplasty

Straightens the bent wall inside the nose to relieve a constantly blocked nostril, with no cut outside.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about Cochlear Implant Evaluation at Prakash Hospital, Noida.

How long does the evaluation take?

Usually a few visits spread over 2 to 6 weeks, because tests and scans happen on different days. For young children it can take longer, since a trial of hearing aids with therapy often comes first.

At what age can a child get a cochlear implant?

Children with profound deafness in both ears are commonly implanted from around 9 to 12 months. Older children and adults can still benefit, and there's no upper age limit if you're fit for anaesthesia.

Will I hear normally with an implant?

Not quite. Most users follow speech well in quiet places, but noisy rooms and music stay harder, and the brain takes months to adjust.

Does insurance cover a cochlear implant?

Some health insurance plans cover implant surgery and the device, but limits on devices vary a lot, so check your policy early. For children, government schemes may help. Our list of insurance and TPA panels shows which insurers we work with.

Will my child be able to study in a regular school?

Many children implanted early go on to mainstream schools, with speech therapy and some classroom support. Progress depends on the age at implant, any other health problems, and how much listening practice happens at home.

Can people with a cochlear implant have an MRI?

Many modern implants allow MRI under set conditions, sometimes with a tight head bandage or after the magnet is removed. Always tell the scanning team you have an implant, and carry your implant card.

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