Tiruchi’s MGMGH performs 100th cochlear implant surgery
The Hindu
Medicos from the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) and K. A. P. Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) in Tiruchi marked a milestone by carrying out their hundredth cochlear implant operation on Monday, with a team led by Mohan Kameswaran, the ENT surgeon who performed the facility’s very first such procedure in December 2017.
Medicos from the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) and K. A. P. Viswanatham Government Medical College (KAPVGMC) in Tiruchi marked a milestone by carrying out their hundredth cochlear implant operation on Monday, with a team led by Mohan Kameswaran, the ENT surgeon who performed the facility’s very first such procedure in December 2017.
A four-year-old boy from Kolakudi, Lalgudi, was the recipient of the 100th implant device in Monday’s operation.
Speaking at a gathering to announce the achievement, Dr. Kameswaran, the founder-director of Madras ENT Research Foundation, said, “Congenital hearing disability is the largest birth anomaly in the world. In India, Tamil Nadu has the highest number of such cases, with at least six in 1,000 children being born with hearing problems. This is a double tragedy, because lack of hearing usually leads to speech impairment as well. Cochlear implant surgery is one of the effective treatments for the problem.”
Dr. Kameswaran, who has been performing cochlear implantation since 1996, also recalled meeting late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in 2009 and getting his approval to include the procedure free of charge under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
MGMGH started its cochlear implantation programme in 2016, and held its 75th operation in February 2022. Each surgery costs approximately ₹7.5 lakh at present and is most effective on children within the age of two years, said S. Palaniappan, ENT department head.
A cochlear implant has two devices: the internal one is surgically placed within the skull under the skin, and a part in the cochlea, the spiral cavity of the inner ear containing the organ of Corti that produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations.
The mechanical external device is a receiver that processes the sound from outside and converts it into signals that are transmitted to the ear via the skin.
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