History

The first report of stimulation of the acoustic nerve by direct application of an electrode, in a totally deaf person was in 1957 by Djourno and Eyries. During this surgery an electrode was placed on a segment of the auditory nerve. The subject reported sounds like crickets.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, experimentation with ‘home made’ single channel cochlear implants progressed. Surgical techniques and biocompatible materials were developed. The first children were implanted as well.

By the 1980’s, cochlear implantation began to be accepted and implantation was extended to children on a wider scale. The first reliable multi-channel devices were implanted and found to be effective. After more than 20 years of experimental status, the cochlear implant received FDA approval in 1984 for adults and in 1990 for children.

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