BHUBANESWAR: Doctors at the SUM Ultimate Medicare in the state capital successfully conducted cochlear implant surgery on a 4-year-old boy from Bargarh recently. SUM Ultimate officials said the surgery, considered to be one of the most complex and delicate ENT surgery, was performed on the boy who was not able to hear since his birth and as a result of which, he did not learn to speak.
After exploring options for his treatment at many places, the parents of the boy contacted the senior consultant for ENT and Skull Base Surgery at SUM Ultimate Medicare Dr. Radhamadhab Sahu who advised them to go for cochlear implant surgery.
The surgery was conducted by posterior tympanotomy method, a minimally invasive procedure that requires a very small incision and causes less pain. “This technique helps in quick recovery. The implant was successfully placed and switched on after 21 days,” Dr. Sahu said.
Audiologists Lopamudra Tripathi and Abinish Kumar at the hospital worked on the device under the guidance of Dr. Sahu which was followed by speech therapy for three months. “Now the boy is able to hear and respond to sound. He will learn to speak gradually,” he said.
People across the world face deafness due to issues in the inner ear and the cochlear implant - a small electronic device (electrode) - improves their capability to hear, Dr. Sahu said on the eve of the World Hearing Day on March 3.