KPJ Johor Specialist Hospital (KPJ Johor) and KPJ Healthcare University (KPJU) successfully performed bilateral cochlear implant surgery on an eight-year-old girl at the hospital on Sept 21.
In a statement today, KPJ Johor said the surgery was performed by KPJ Johor ENT surgeon Associate Prof Dr Azida Zainal Anuar and KPJU vice chancellor Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Lokman Saim using Cochlear technology from the United States.
“KPJ Johor and KPJU share expertise in the field of otolaryngology, and this is the second successful surgery conducted in 20 years, after the first one was performed on a child in 2003,” said KPJ Johor.
In the same statement, Dr Azida said that the family of the girl made the decision to proceed with cochlear implant surgery due to the lack of progress in the child’s speech development despite prior use of hearing aids.
“A congenitally deaf child can undergo cochlear implant surgery as early as one year old or before three years old to ensure proper speech development.
“Cochlear implants are the best option for those with more severe hearing loss when hearing aids prove ineffective in helping them to hear,” she said.
According to Dr Azida, after the surgery, the child is required to undergo intensive speech therapy to improve their language comprehension.
She also suggested that parents bring their babies for a neonatal hearing screening so that any potential hearing impairments can be addressed promptly.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is surgically implanted in the head to help people with sensorineural hearing loss hear.
The function of the cochlear implant is different from that of a hearing aid, in which the hearing aid is used to amplify the sound, while the cochlear implant helps to replace the function of the damaged inner ear to process sound and send signals to the brain.
According to the Social Welfare Department’s statistics, more than 5,000 children between the ages of less than six and 18 have been registered as hearing impaired as of Jan 31 this year.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency