Save
Email
Print
ShareDec. 28, 2001 — ROCHESTER, MINN. -- A new hearing device that is implanted in your middle ear may provide better sound quality than conventional hearing aids, according to the January issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
The device includes internal and external parts that work together to deliver sound to the middle ear. The external part, called a processor, includes a battery, microphone, speech processor and transmitter. About the size of a quarter, it attaches magnetically just above the ear. The processor picks up sound and transmits to a receiver implanted in the skull.
The device mimics how normal hearing works, transmitting sound straight to the bones in the middle ear. In traditional hearing aids, sound is transmitted through the ear drum, which can give the wearer the feeling of talking in a barrel. They also can produce feedback -- squeaks and whistles that are audible to others.
Hearing experts say the new device can provide clearer sound and less feedback than other hearing aids. However, surgically implanted devices cost substantially more. Discuss your individual situation with your hearing specialist.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page, monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll-free 800-333-9037, extension 9PR1.
Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mayo Clinic.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
more 
