In order to determine whether a child is a candidate for cochlear implant, a clinical test must be carried out. During this test the experts examine the patient including hearing test and other medical examinations, and after these the decision is being made, whether the surgery offers solution int he given case. At the same time they inform the family of the detailed steps of implantation process.

After the surgery the wound must heal for 3-4 weeks. Only after this period the external part of the implant – the so calles speech processor – will be fitted. When this happens, most of the patient immediately begin to hear sounds.

Nucleus cochlear implants
The Nucleus® 24 implant family has been designed to reduce the surgical invasion and thus the trauma at the very fine structured cochlea. This is a thin and flexible implant where it is hardly or no tat all necessary to shave the hair.

Strong and reliable
Nucleus implants have a strong titanium casing which sorrounds and protects the elements placed inside the implant. Nucleus implants are the only implants with removable magnet, which enables the patient to undergo MRI examination up to 1,5 Tesla. MRI is a frequently used medical examination to diagnose injuries. The Nucleus®  system is the only implant on market to offer Neural Response Telemetry (NRT). NRT is part of each Nucleus® 24 cochlear implant.

During the NRT test the device sends electric signals to the implanted electrodes and records the response evoked in the neighbouring hearing nerve fibres. NRT enables the surgeon to check during surgery whether the hearing nerve reacts to the stimulation. Also, NRT offers a starting MAP for the audiologist from which she can fit the speech processor according to individual needs. Thus the MAPping process is exelerated which is especially important in case of infants and small children who can rarely express the sounds they hear.

Using NRT will reduce this problem, as the responses of hearing nerve to the stimulation can be objectively measured.

Nucleus® 24 K / Contour
The prize winning Nucleus® 24 Contour cochlear implant contains a self curling electrode array consisting of 22 channels, so each stimulating electrode can be safely placed close to the cochlea.

Nucleus® Freedom
The latest Nucleus implant ownes a titanium-silicone casing bevált at CI24R and is available with Contour Advance™ Softip™ elektrode or straight electrode array.

The electronics of the new implant is 50% more impact proof than its predecessor and containes a brand new, 4th generation chip. This offers the following:

• Better NRT
• New stimulation rates (up to 32kHz)
• Choice of all available speech coding strategies
• Lower energy consumption
• Better MRI safety (up to 1,5 Tesla with magnet in place)

Speech processors

ESPrit 3G speech processor (behind-the-ear device)
ESPrit 3G is a 3rd generation speech processor of  Cochlear Ltd. It is a small, light and easy to wear device. All elements are hidden int he elegantly designed BTE unit so the is no separate body worn unit. ESPrit 3G is available in different colours, so children, young people and adults can choose the colour to wear according to their hair colour, clothing or even mood.

ESPrit 3G is an industry first BTE speech processor equipped with telecoil. This means that without having to use uncomfortable accessories or cables it enables telephoning through the microphone, by just one switch. The telecoil offers direct connection with sound systems of public places which are equipped with acoustic devices (eg. induction loop, infrared or FM systems). Using the telecoil films, concerts, games can be fully enjoyed and the user can understand voices better in classrooms, conference halls, churches equipped with acoustic devices.

ESPrit 3G utilizes the industry first Whisper Setting, which was designed to ensure better perception of low sounds. It can be perfectly used by dinners or watching TV, even if one wants to hear a low voice from a distance. ESPrit 3G is the first BTE device which offers all 3 speech coding strategies that Nucleus is using - SPEAK, CIS és ACE.

SPrint speech processor (body worn device)
SPrint is a high power digital speech processor also offeing SPEAK, CIS és ACE coding strategies. It is extremely impact proof, therefore an optimal choice for infants and small children.

SPrint offers an adaptive dinamic range optimising programme (ADRO) which is automatically adjusting to the environment, turning low sounds to silent and strong sounds comfortable even in noise.

The display, the lockable control buttons and the sound signal warning for battery low level are especially useful for parents and teachers of small children who want to check the settings.

Freedom speech processor (modular device)
The newest Nucleus speech processor is a modular design, meaning that one device contains both the behind-the-ear and body-worn options. The base of the device is a processing unit, to which the BTE or BW control units can be attached by a quick move. Thus it is an ideal device for every age and lifestyle. The dimensions are much smaller than those of the previous devices.

Further innovation is the revolutionary sound technology adjusting to the environment  (SmartSound ), the built-in FM technology and telecoil, the LCD display, and – world first - the splash- and sweat-proofness.