Auditory Brainstem Implant

An implant that stimulates the brainstem when the hearing nerve is absent

Overview

An auditory brainstem implant is a surgically placed device that bypasses both the cochlea and the auditory nerve, stimulating the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem directly. It was originally developed at the House Ear Institute for people with neurofibromatosis type 2, whose bilateral vestibular schwannomas and their removal often destroy the hearing nerves. It is also used in some children born without a functioning auditory nerve or cochlea. Most users gain awareness of environmental sound and help with lip reading, though open set speech understanding is generally more limited than with cochlear implants.