Which of the following would be the most appropriate treatment for rehabilitation of a patient with bilateral profound sensorineural loss following surgery for bilateral acoustic schwannoma?
Neural pathways for hearing are cochlea - CN VIII - cochlear nuclei - olivary complex - lateral lemniscus - inferior colliculus - auditory radiations and superior temporal gyrus.Since there is damage to CN VIII, neural pathways have been interrupted distal to cochlea. Any device which stimulates cochlea or nerve fibres is not likely to help. Digital hearing aid and cochlear implants (which stimulate eighth nerve fibres in cochlea) will be ineffective. In brain-stem implant, electrodes stimulate cochlear nuclei and that is the only appropriate device to be used.Brain-stem implant: Since CN VIII has been severed, electrodes are used to stimulate cochlear nuclei.
Bilateral high powered digital hearing aid
Bilateral cochlear implants
Unilateral cochlear implant
Brain-stem implant
Ear