Current trends of cochlear implant in Japan

Abstract

In Japan, Cochlear implant surgery began to be performed in 1985. Since then, more than 10,000 patients have received cochlear implant surgery. Cochlear implant is the only means to restore hearing ability in highly hearing-impaired patients that is not enough to hear with the wearing of a hearing aid. In spite of the good results from the point of view of hearing ability, several problems have been reported in the limit of cochlear implant, for example, the speech perception in noisy environments wearing a cochlear implant is difficult. In this paper, the system, the history, current trends, and issues of cochlear implant are explained. We discuss the bilateral, the bimodal, the integrated education of children wearing cochlear implants, and the role of speech therapist in cochlear implant, because especially we are expected the increase of bilateral children by having revised the criteria and indications for cochlear implant surgery in children. Key words: cochlear implant, bilateral, speech therapist 要旨： 我が国で最初の人工内耳手術が 1985 年に行われてから 30 年が経過し， 人工内耳装用者数は１万人以上になっている． 人工内耳は，補聴器での装用効果が不十分な高度難聴に対して有効であり，人工内耳の装用効果が得られているが，騒 音下の聴取等人工内耳の聴こえには限界があり，今後検討すべき課題もある． 本稿では，人工内耳のしくみや歴史，人工内耳の現状や問題点を解説し，特に，人工内耳の適応基準の改訂等によっ て，今後増加が予想される小児の両側人工内耳や人工内耳と補聴器の両耳装用の効果，人工内耳装用児の通常学級への インテグレーション等に関する検討を行った．さらに，聴覚障害，人工内耳に関わる言語聴覚士の役割について考察し た． キーワード：人工内耳，両側人工内耳，言語聴覚士