The difference between hearing aids and cochlear implants

Hearing aids are the same as hearing cochlear implants .The similarity is that both can be called hearing aid devices, which convert external sound signals into electrical signals through special electronic circuits, and then convert them into sound signals acceptable to the human body.

The difference is that the hearing aid is an amplifier that can fully amplify the external signal, pass it into the ear canal of the hearing impaired person, pass it through the middle ear, and then pass it into the inner ear hearing receptor, so that the hearing impaired can hear this kind of ” The sound of zooming in.Hearing aids are suitable for patients with mild to severe hearing loss.However, due to the type and quality of the hearing aid, the amplification effect of the sound signal is also different, that is, the “fidelity” of the sound signal is different.Hearing impaired people will feel different.

Cochlear implants are suitable for people with very severe hearing impairments, ie people who can’t help with hearing aids.The cochlear implant is divided into two parts, an external device and a device implanted in the body.The external device is divided into a speech processor, a directional microphone and a delivery device, the implant device comprising an electrode series and a receiving stimulation device.The implanted device bypasses the damaged cochlea and directly stimulates the auditory nerve, allowing the patient to regain hearing.

Whether wearing a hearing aid or implanting a cochlear implant, it takes a certain period of adaptation.In particular, the cochlear implant has a great difference from the fineness of the healthy human cochlear structure, so there is some difference between the perceived sound and the natural sound.It takes a long time for the post-speaker to undergo a few months of rehabilitation training, while the pre-existing sorcerer (child) has to undergo 2-3 years of language rehabilitation to achieve a better result.

At present, the cost of surgery for a cochlear implant is about 200,000 yuan, and the price of a hearing aid is about 1000-30000 yuan.In contrast, the advantages of hearing aids are that they are easy to wear and non-invasive; the cochlea has surgery and trauma.

Nowadays, the development of hearing aid technology has made the hearing aid have a larger adapting range. It is suitable for hearing loss from mild to severe, even less than one hundredth of a very high degree of hearing loss, and also chooses a super power hearing aid. Very good help.

The condition of the cochlea is internationally stipulated that the hearing of both ears is above 85 decibels. Wearing a hearing aid for more than half a year has no effect or little effect. Because of the hearing loss disorder caused by the congenital reduction of congenital function in the cochlea, cochlear surgery is considered, while the external ear and middle ear are considered. The hearing impairment caused by the ear and the posterior cochlear nerve can not have a good expected effect after the cochlear implant, so it is not recommended.

In terms of acoustic effects, the low frequency compensation of the hearing aid is more dominant, and the high frequency compensation of the cochlea is more dominant.Therefore, some children who only have a cochlea, sometimes have a bad tone, that is, the sound can not be clearly distinguished. It is better to wear a hearing aid in another ear without a cochlear to make a low-frequency supplement, often than to do only the cochlea. Children have better language development.

For children wearing traditional hearing aids, if the high-frequency sound is not well-received and the corresponding sound is unclear, consider wearing a frequency-shifting hearing aid. After debugging by a professional fitter, strengthen the sound and correct the pronunciation. If the effect is still not good, you can consider cochlear surgery.