Technology and Performance Advances in Cochlear Implants

Jae S. Lee, Ph. D, Advanced Bionics, Valencia, CA

The cochlear implant (CI) provides a new mechanism for hearing when a hearing aid is not enough. It is the only medical technology able to functionally restore the human sense of hearing. Unlike a hearing aid that amplifies sound to make it loud enough for an impaired ear, a cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part and sends electrical signals directly to the auditory nerve.

The HiResolution Bionic Ear System is the only CI system that can provide HiResolution sound to children and adults with severe to profound hearing loss. HiResolution sound processing is the sound processing system that defines the way a cochlear implant system transforms acoustic sound into electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. The sound processing steps includes the sound window, frequency mapping, waveform analysis, stimulation waveform, and rate. These advanced signal-processing capabilities provide a high-fidelity representation of the acoustic signal to the CI user.

Major advancement to current signal processing strategies is to increase spectral channels through current steering in Bionic Ear users. The number of spectral channels is defined as the total number of distinct pitches a CI user can perceive when stimulation is delivered to different locations along the cochlear. CI users can perceive significantly more spectral information by the unique ability to steer current through simultaneous stimulation of adjacent electrode contacts.