New technology to help hearing

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A cochlear implant is a device that bypasses damaged portions of the ear and delivers sound signals directly to the hearing nerve.

Related: Toddler hears mother’s voice for first time

For years, the devices have not been compatible with MRI machines, which operate on magnetic fields. But new improvements in technology have made them a viable option for patients who couldn’t have considered them before.

Toni Lacolucci’s struggle with her hearing started 25 years ago when a non-cancerous tumor blocked the hearing in her right ear. Years later, she went to her son’s high school band concert and didn’t wear earplugs.

“I was unplugged,” Lacolucci said. “I went home that night, and I was having a hard time hearing.”

A week later, the hearing in her left ear was gone.

Her son, Gian Stone, began to rise in the music world and has since produced songs for Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and the Jonas brothers. When he took his mom to the 2019 Grammys, she couldn’t hear the music clearly -- even with a hearing aid.

“It was such a big part of his life, and I couldn’t be a part of it anymore,” Toni recalled.

“Hearing impairment is much more complex than just the idea of ‘You have a little problem hearing, let’s put a hearing aid in, and everything will be fine,’” said Joseph Montano, with Weill Cornell Medicine.

Lacolucci’s options were limited as she needed annual MRIs to monitor the tumor near her right ear. But a new cochlear implant design allowed the magnet in the device to twist and reorient when exposed to the magnetic field in the scanner. She had the device implanted and was able to hear clearly again.

The FDA approved one MRI-compatible cochlear implant late in 2019, and several other FDA-approved versions followed.

More: Health stories

Copyright 2022 WILX. All rights reserved.

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.

Comments are closed.