Loyola Patient's Hearing Is Restored Thanks to Cochlear Implant from Loyola ENT & Audiology Teams
November 27, 2016Categories: Audiology, ENT/Otolaryngology
Tags: Audiology, Otolaryngology ENT
MAYWOOD, IL – Due to a childhood bout with the flu, Julia Conkin suffered progressive hearing loss that started in her left ear and continued to her right ear.
”I couldn’t hear conversations or even listen to music without the use of a hearing aid, and due to my worsening condition, hearing aids weren’t even working well," Ms. Conkin said.
Ms. Conkin consulted with the multidisciplinary otolaryngology and audiology team at Loyola Medicine.
“Julia’s hearing was so bad she had to rely on sign language and that severely limited the number of people she could communicate with,” said Loyola audiologist Adriana Russ, AuD. “She came to Loyola to see if she was a candidate for a cochlear implant.”
Matt Kircher, MD, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, implanted a cochlear implant in a one-hour outpatient surgery. “Julia had suffered from really bad hearing for a very long time and was at the end of her rope and looking for the next step,” said Dr. Kircher. "A cochlear implant is a device usually used in patients like Julia who have failed hearing aids.”
Unlike a traditional hearing aid, a cochlear implant does not make sound louder or clearer; rather it bypasses the damaged parts of the auditory system and stimulates the hearing nerve, allowing sound to be received.
The cochlear implant system contains two parts: the external processor and the internal implant. The external processor is worn behind the ear and includes a speech processor, a microphone and a battery compartment. The internal implant is surgically placed under the skin behind the ear. These two parts work together to allow for the perception of sound.
Dr. Kircher has performed hundreds of cochlear implants. He makes a small incision behind the ear, exposing the cochlea. Then, an opening is made in the cochlea and the electrodes for the implant are inserted. The internal implant is then placed beneath the skin.
A few weeks after implantation, Dr. Kircher and the team place the external processor, microphone and implant transmitter. A Loyola audiologist activates the implant.
“With Julia, the expectations for hearing improvement were modest but the results were spectacular,” said Russ.
Ms. Conkin calls her cochlear implant a life-changer. "I noticed almost immediately after my implant was activated that I could hear things I had not heard for years, like music and conversations at gatherings,” she said. “It was beautiful to hear other people.”
Loyola Medicine is nationally recognized for its expertise in diagnosing and treating a broad range of ear, nose and throat conditions and providing integrated services for optimal patient care.
About Loyola Medicine
Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke center, transplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 127,000 colleagues and more than 38,300 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 26 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 93 hospitals, 107 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country, 142 urgent care locations and many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2024, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $1.3 billion in its communities in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).