Cochlear Implants

Since 1992, our Audiology team, along with our surgeons, have provided services and evaluations for cochlear implants for children and adults.

Cochlear Implants are recommended for those with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss and when there is only limited or no benefit from properly-fitted hearing aids.

A Cochlear Implant is made up of two parts. Equipment is worn on the outside of the ear and equipment is surgically placed inside the ear. During surgery, the internal components (receiver and electrode array) are secured under the skin and hair and the electrode array is placed into the cochlea. The externally worn processor transmits signals to the internal device stimulating the hearing nerve directly when turned on.

The patient is determined a candidate for a cochlear implant by the cochlear implant team, which may consist of the audiologist, surgeon, speech pathologist, and sometimes a psychologist. Audiological, medical, and radiological evaluations are completed to determine candidacy.

Following cochlear implantation, recipients are seen by UC Davis Medical Center Audiologists for the initial activation and follow up programming/mapping appointments, audiological evaluations for the opposite ear.

UC Davis uses the latest cochlear implant systems from all three FDA cochlear implant companies: Cochlear, Advanced Bionics and Med-El.