HEARING WITHOUT HEARING AID - A NEW TREATMENT

            A 16 year old girl with severe deafness from birth was treated using state-of-the- art technology at Vikram ENT Hospital, which helped her to hear normally without a hearing aid for the first time.  This surgery called “CONGENITAL EAR TYMPANOPLASTY” was successfully performed by the team this week.

            Ila, daughter of a senior IPS Officer from Kolkatta had undergone this technically challenging surgery.  She had not been able to hear since birth and doctors declared the she would not speak properly. From her child hood her parents consulted numerous doctors and some suggested a cochlear implant and others a hearing aid.  In a confused and frustrated state her parents decided to opt for hearing aids and speech therapy.  With tremendous efforts from her parents the child grew up be brilliant student.  However, they wanted to completely cure her problem.  One year ago at Bangalore, she underwent a surgery but with poor results.  Having been referred by doctors they came to Vikram ENT Hospital, Coimbatore.

            By using virtual otoscopy, a 3D MRI reconstruction of her middle and inner ear was done to accurately plan her treatment.  A complete picture of Ila’s inner ear revealed that her cochlea was not fully developed, which is the main hearing organ.  In the middle ear out of 3 bones one was not present and the other two were fixed to the roof of the middle ear.  The oval windows and ear canal were very narrow and malformed.  As Ila was 16 she could understand that this was an extremely challenging procedure and she was asked to make the decision herself.  She opted to have a laser procedure which would help her live without her hearing aid.  With the Sensera microscope and K.T.P laser the ear canal was widened to make it normal and the fixed bones were freed.  Her hearing loss was not satisfactory even after reconstruction with a German Titanium implant. Instead, a 24 carat pure gold prosthesis replacing all 3 bones combined with the reconstruction of her ear drum helped restore hearing.  She was able to hear normally and was free from her hearing aid for the first time ever. She could  live with out her hearing aid or cochlear implant which were her options advised over the years.  Finally her hearing matched her academic and life skills.

            Since it was done completely inside the ear itself, their was no blood loss or scar after the surgery.  It was a single day treatment and Ila could get back to normal life and home the very next day.

            According to the team of doctors at Vikram ENT Hospital, Coimbatore, with the advances in medical technology combined with skilled expertise even a problem from birth can be rectified.  Every child born deaf, if identified at the right age with the MASTER test, can benefit either from hearing aids, minor laser surgery or cochlear implant surgery and speech rehabilitation, to lead a totally normal life.