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"With the popularity of transcanal technique
for cochlear implants, deafness is slowly becoming
a thing of the past. Being minimally invasive,
the technique is less time-consuming with reduced
complications and available at a cost which is
80 percent lesser than the conventional procedure,"
said J.M. Hans, chairman, department of ENT and
cochlear implantation, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.
The new implants have been developed by the Defense
Research Development Organisation (DRDO).
"The low-cost cochlear implants are a boon
for the deaf," Hans said at the 2-day workshop
on transcanal technique workshop at the hospital.
The cochlear implant is a surgically implanted
electronic device that provides a sense of sound
to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely
hard of hearing due to loss of sensory hair cells
in their cochlea.
Nearly a million people in need of cochlear implants
every year were till now forced to use imported
cochlear implants, which came at a steep price
of Rs.7 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. The Indian version
will cost about Rs.1 lakh.
Inaugurating the conference Saturday, former
president A.P.J Abdul Kalam, said: "The Naval
Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) at
Visakhapatnam, which is a unit of DRDO, has taken
the lead and developed this cochlear implant which
is undergoing final laboratory evaluation. The
DRDO has developed an indigenous and affordable
cochlear implant which will be available for clinical
trials within four months."
(IANS)
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