In an interview with the Polish Press Agency’s Serwis Zdrowie, Prof. Piotr H. Skarżyński, MD, PhD, MSc discussed the indications for cochlear implantation and the role of rehabilitation after surgery.
‘When we see that development with a hearing aid is not progressing properly, we refer the patient for assessment for cochlear implantation. If the hearing loss is very profound, there is no alternative, and we opt for implantation, usually between 6 and 24 months of age. It is important not to delay: the first years are crucial for a child’s speech development,’ Professor Piotr H. Skarżyński emphasised.
Later in the interview, the expert discussed the importance of rehabilitation after implantation:
‘First, patients need to become familiar with sounds and how the processor handles them and how they reach the temporal cortex. This needs appropriate stimulation. Therapy starts with gentle sounds. Monosyllabic training follows: the patient learns to associate what is said with pictures they see. Patients also need to learn to understand the person asking a question. There are many therapies. Some general frameworks exist, but an individual approach to every patient is important.’
The full interview is available on the Polish Press Agency’s Serwis Zdrowie website.