Sektion Cochlear Implant - ICFKlinik für Hals-, Nasen- und Ohrenheilkunde

In order to determine whether a cochlear implant is the right hearing aid for you or your child, a preliminary examination (PE) is performed. Adults come to our ENT clinic usually for 2 days and children for 3 days. In many cases, the preliminary examination can be performed on an outpatient basis.

During the preliminary examination, we determine whether the cochlear implant treatment is appropriate and medically possible for you or your child. This requires thorough discussions and various special examinations such as

• Recording the hearing history to date (anamnesis)
• Control of hearing aids
• Hearing and speech tests
• ENT specialist and phoniatric examinations and consultations
• Otoscopy to control the external auditory canal, the eardrum and the middle ear
• ENG (Electronystagmonogram: test of the equilibrium organ)
• Electrocochleography and BERA (objective hearing test: check of the cochlear function / auditory nerve
• Computer tomography (CT: X-ray imaging to determine the condition of the cochlea)

Children are examined under full narcosis, if necessary. In such cases, the following additional examinations are made:

• Paracentesis (perforation of the ear drum to ventilate the middle ear; if necessary, insertion of tympanic tube)
• Adenodomy (Removal of adenoids – generally called “polyps”)

During your stay for preliminary examinations, one of our logopedic specialists will meet with you at the Implant Centrum Freiburg (ICF) for detailed discussions and information.

The purpose of this meeting is to inform you as completely as possible about the CI systems and to assist you in making the decision of whether a CI is right for you or your child.

In order to achieve this, we will discuss with you the results of the hearing and speech tests and based on these, the hearing possibilities with the cochlear implant – but also its limitations. The function of a CI will also be explained and various CI systems demonstrated. We will also explain the rehabilitation routine at the Implant Centrum Freiburg, and you can become acquainted with our facilities. In order to have as thorough an impression of your child as possible at the preliminary examination, we will ask not only for information on how long the child has been hearing impaired and what hearing aids are used, but also on the present state of speech development, as well as communication behavior and the child’s overall development.

We like to use information from pediatricians or childcare center employees where you live. For this, we will send you a questionnaire prior to the preliminary examination which – if you wish – you may have filled out by the care-givers. This lets us form a more precise estimate of your child’s hearing ability and thus also to better estimate the need for a CI.

Once all findings are available, a senior physician will discuss with you whether treatment with a CI can be recommended. It may happen that CI treatment cannot be recommended at the time of examination but possibly at a later time. In this case, a new appointment will be set up.

When the total findings indicate CI treatment and you accept our recommendation, it is possible to make an appointment for CI implantation immediately after the consultation with the senior physician.

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