Preface

Severe hearing loss (HL) can have a significant negative impact on communication, social interactions, and emotional well-being. The WHO estimates that there are about 360 million people in the world with disabling hearing loss (5.3% of the world's population). Ninety-one percent of these are adults and 9% are children.

The last decades have witnessed impressive technological advances in the rehabilitation of HL, leading to significant shifts in the approach and protocols.

The majority of HL cases are of the sensorineural type and can be managed by amplification with hearing aids or active middle ear hearing implants.

In profound HL, the speech perception performance achieved with cochlear implants has been so reliable and rewarding that it has enabled a great expansion of their audiological indication. Bone conduction hearing implants, instead, allow a consistent correction of conductive or mixed hearing losses.

Stem cell manipulation and genetic therapy appear promising but are not yet available for clinical application.

This book strives to provide an in-depth overview of the latest developments in the rehabilitation of HL, through contributions by international leading experts, focused on specific topics within the boundaries of this continuously evolving area.

Hopefully, the insights will assist clinicians, audiologists, hearing aid acousticians, and speech therapists in their planning of the most suitable treatment options for their patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

The editor wishes to acknowledge and congratulate his co-editor and all authors for their excellent scientific contributions; Sara Cavicchiolo (Sp. Ther.), Anna Gasbarre (Aud. Tech.), Eliana Filipponi (Aud. Tech.), Cinzia Lazzarini (Sp. Ther.), and Loredana Todini (Sp. Ther.), from the team of the Audiology Dept. of the University of Milano for their trusted cooperation; and Associazione Progetto Udire Onlus for their continuous support.

**II**

**Section 3**

Implantation *by Yasser A. Fouad*

*and Paul Van de Heyning*

Improve Poorer Performers?

*by Bernard Fraysse and Chris J. James*

Cochlear Implants **101**

**Chapter 7 103**

**Chapter 8 121**

**Chapter 9 141**

**Chapter 10 155**

The Need to Increase Awareness and Access to Cochlear Implantation

*by Patrick S.C. D'Haese, Vincent Van Rompaey, Marc De Bodt* 

Advances in Surgical and Anesthetic Techniques for Cochlear

Prognostics Factors of Cochlear Implant in Adults: How Can We

Cochlear Implant in Single-Sided Deafness Children and Adults

*by Ángel Ramos Macías, Silvia A. Borkoski Barreiro, Juan Carlos Falcón González and Ángel Ramos de Miguel*

> **Diego Zanetti and Federica Di Berardino**  Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

**1**

Section 1

Research and Clinical

Science

Section 1
