The Cochlear Implant Center at the University of South Florida was established in 2000 as a collaborative effort between the USF Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the USF Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders. Our philosophy is based around the idea that patients benefit most if the human talents of a modern university can be focused towards the provision of patient care, education, and research. Surgeons, audiologists, speech therapists, and nurses are all dedicated to the successful empowerment of individuals who have lost the ability to hear or who are deaf from birth.
Learn more about the Cochlear Implant Center, by clicking the provider below:
K. Paul Boyev, MD, Director
Cochlear implant technology is the most successful interface between micro-electronics and the human senses - in this case, the sense of hearing. Because most deafness results from a lack of nerve endings of hearing - the hair cells of the cochlea - the cochlear implant electronically stimulates surviving components of the pathway "further upstream". The cochlear implant, in basic terms, consists of two parts: an external sound processor, and a surgically implanted component. The external processor receives soundwaves from the external environment, and the software of the processor converts these into electrical signals detected by the receiver under the scalp. The receiver in turn relays these signals into the electrode array which has been inserted into the cochlea, enabling it to substitute for the missing cochlear hair cells.
There are two main groups who stand to benefit from this life-changing technology: infants and young children who were born deaf, and adults who have been able to hear in childhood but who have subsequently lost hearing later in life. A third group, patients who were born deaf but did not seek cochlear implantation until their late teens or later, sometimes may benefit but not nearly as much as those in the other two groups. And, unfortunately, there are some individuals for whom cochlear implants are not recommended. The general rules for infants and children born deaf is "the earlier the better" and "two are better than one". Getting treatment sooner rather than later has many benefits, including laying a foundation for developing speech and language. Adult hearing loss can occur very gradually, where a patient experiences years of decreasing benefit from more and more powerful hearing aids. There are some disorders however, where adults can lose the hearing in one or both ears suddenly. Cochlear implants help those with moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears who are not receiving enough benefit when using hearing aids.
At your appointment with us, you and/or your child will be interviewed and examined by Dr. Boyev. If it seems that you would benefit from cochlear implantation, a CT scan of your ears and an MRI of your brain will be ordered. Additionally - and this is very important - you will need the vaccine for the pneumonia bacteria streptococcus pneumoniae, to minimize your risk for meningitis. We will also arrange special audiologic testing with our cochlear implant audiologists at the USF Department of Communications Sciences & Disorders Hearing Clinic. For children, it is necessary to assess speech therapy and educational needs, as well as counseling support services. Surgery takes place at Tampa General Hospital, which has received an award from U.S. News & World Report as one of the top hospitals for ear, nose, and throat surgery in the U.S. Follow up appointment takes place on the following week. The exciting part comes after the incisions have fully healed in about three to four weeks after surgery: the device is switched on! That day consists of an appointment with Dr. Boyev to check the surgical site, followed by an appointment with an audiologist for "mapping". Mapping balances the quietest and loudest range of the implant for optimal comfort and function. Mapping sessions can occur several times before the implant programmed optimally. After the initial mapping session, the real rehabilitation work begins. Although the implant will provide access to new sounds, it takes time to make sense of the new sounds to better understand speech. This process depends on teamwork between motivated parents, educators, and therapists.
