Cochlear Implants Treatment Cost In Thailand

Cochlear Implants Treatment cost in Thailand is between USD 36000 to USD 44000. Patient has to stay in the hospital for 4 days and outside the hospital for 10 days.

Before the procedure, certain evaluation tests are done including, hearing and speech. Physical tests such as MRI or CT imaging tests of the skull are done to assess the condition of the cochlea and inner ear structure. These tests are not included in the package.

Pain at the surgical site is usually temporary and stiffness of the jaw is also common, you can take pain medicines to subside the uneasiness prescribed by your doctor, but these are not covered in your package. 

The three cochlear implant companies that produce Cochlear Implant Devices are Cochlear Corporation, Advanced Bionics Corporation, and Med-El Corporation. You can select the best option for yourself by consulting your doctor.

The implanted device is meant to last a lifetime. However, there have been a few cases wherein due to the equipment failure the device was surgically replaced, this may cost you extra. Furthermore, most cochlear implants are powered by either rechargeable or disposable batteries which are an additional cost.

It is possible that you will not have to pay for the repairs if they are not covered by a warranty and when your insurance doesn’t cover the repairs. You can check with your health insurance provider to know whether your plan covers repairs and replacement of parts for cochlear implants or not.

Cochlear implant surgery is performed under general anesthesia and lasts between 2 to 3 hours. The procedure may require an overnight stay at the hospital depending on your case but is usually an outpatient procedure.

As cochlear implants are identified as a standard remedy for severe-to-profound deafness, most insurance plans cover them. Please check with your insurance provider to know more.

Vibrotactile devices are an alternative to cochlear implants, however, they may range the same cost for the procedure.

The warranty of the product is for 10 years, but the electrode which is fitted inside is practically once in a lifetime.

Absolutely, Cochlear implant was made for patients who are born deaf.

Ideally, cochlear should be done within first year of the birth to best results. The results are still very good if surgery is done less than 7 years of age. As the age grows, it will be very difficult for patient to be fully absorbed in mainstream.

If patient is deaf from both ear, opting for cochlear implant in both ears is highly recommended. It helps patient in sound localisation, speech discrimination much better

Hospital stay would be for 1-2 days.

Cochlear implants may be placed in one ear (unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). Cochlear implants in both ears have started to be used more often to treat bilateral severe hearing loss particularly for infants and children who are learning to speak and process language. There has to be a time gap between the two implants and generally doctor advice of about 6 months of gap between two procedures.

Cochlear implants do not play a sound to the wearer, and so they can be useful even if that person has little or no ability to hear sound. A microphone that is worn on the back of the ear detects sounds in the surrounding environment and converts them into electrical signals.

Cochlear Implant has two parts Internal device (e): The internal portion of the implant consists of two parts: the receiver/stimulator and the intracochlear electrode array. External hardware (a-d): The external portion consists of three parts: a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitting coil. The external devise can get damaged if they get wet so you need to take off before you bathe.

Cochlear Implant has two parts Internal device (e): The internal portion of the implant consists of two parts: the receiver/stimulator and the intracochlear electrode array. External hardware (a-d): The external portion consists of three parts: a microphone, a speech processor, and a transmitting coil. The external devise has to be removed prior to going to bed.

The internal device doesnt need any battery. The external device's battery can easily be changed.

Cochlear Implants works lifetime and NO future surgery may be required.

The risk is about 0.1%

No major precautions other than to avoid head trauma.

No, cochlear implant is not a major surgery it is a minor surgery. This device partially restores hearing ability.

Patient should undergo cochlear implantation who have severe hearing loss or hearing loss due to damage of the inner ear and they are not using hearing aids. Other than hearing aids which amplifies sound cochlear  implant bypasses the damaged portion of the ear for delivering the sound signals to the auditory nerve.

Some of the disadvantage of cochlear implants includes nerve damage, dizziness problem, hearing loss, ringing in ears, leaking of fluid around brain and meningitis.

Usually cochlear implants lasts lifetime but there are some cases in which they are to be changed after certain time interval.

Cochlear implant is very safe surgery it has limited post operative pain and few complications only. Pain and stiffness seen at the surgical site is mainly temporary, it subsides with time.  It is safe for you to sleep on the side being operated.

Cochlear Implant surgery usually takes from three to four hours.

Cochlear implant surgery is being done by general surgeons or ENT specialist.

Cochlear implantation surgery takes two to four hours to be complete under general anaesthesia.

In cochlear implantation the surgeon first identify the facial nerve and then creates an opening between them to access the cochlea. In the next step implant electrode is being inserted into the cochlea and the surgeon places an electronic device called receiver under the skin and behind the ear   and then surgeon secures the skull in that area.

It takes 2-3 weeks for device to be programmed perfectly before patient goes back to their country. After going back, patient is strongly recommended to undergo speech therapy for best results for about upto 1 year.

You can return to work 1 to 2 weeks after surgery.

This depends on your pre-operative hearing level. Certain hearing loss can be corrected in the same or second surgery whereas some kinds of hearing loss involving inner ear may not be reversible.

It will take around three to six weeks before you recover completely after the procedure, most people are able to return back to their work within one to two week after surgery.

You should avoid bending or lifting heavy objects for three weeks after surgery, you may experience some popping, clicking or other sounds in your ear.

About four to six weeks after the surgery, the external parts of the cochlear implant will be added. These include a microphone and speech processor. At that time, the speech processor is programmed and activated, which causes the internal device to stimulate the cochlear nerve in response to sounds.

Immediately after surgery you may feel some pressure or discomfort on the implanted ear, dizziness, disoriented or a sore throat for a while from the breathing tube used during general anesthesia.