Hearing Preservation Cochlear Implantation

Electric-acoustic stimulation or hybrid cochlear implantation was originally developed for patients with residual low-frequency hearing detection and profound high-frequency hearing loss. Typically, these patients achieve limited benefit from conventional amplification but are often not considered cochlear implant candidates. However, thanks to modified electrodes and optimized surgical techniques, many patients featuring these audiometric configurations have successfully undergone cochlear implantation with preservation of residual hearing. The subsequent combination of electric and acoustic hearing has been demonstrated to provide a performance benefit especially in noise. This article will briefly summarize the key developments, clinical data and future developments. © 2013, Springer Science+Business Media New York.