Return of hearing highlights patient’s battle to overcome tragedy

A cochlear implant provided by Washington University neurotologist Matthew Shew, MD, provided a boost to one patient’s struggling morale. But, this patient’s determination and remarkable outcome surprised everyone. In November 2022, Dane Steenburgen was a typical high school senior. He had just finished his final season of soccer and attended a high school dance on […]

Renowned neurotologist Lenarz offers ENT lectureship

photo of WashU neurotologists

Thomas Lenarz, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the department of Otolaryngology at Hannover Medical School (Germany) provided a stimulating Senturia Lecture to the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine on Oct. 26. His talk, “Hearing4All: functional restoration of hearing using auditory devices,” highlighted the broad advances in medicine and technology that […]

Medicare expands coverage for cochlear implants

Older man with cochlear implant

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded coverage for cochlear implantation, making the procedure available to millions of additional individuals with hearing loss. Washington University faculty, including Lindburg Professor and Chair Craig A. Buchman, MD, have spent years working in support of the expanded coverage. In 2014, Buchman and colleagues – Teresa […]

Q&A with Director, Cochlear Implant Program Jill Firszt

photo of the Firszt family

The Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine boasts one of the busiest cochlear implant (CI) centers in the country. Last year the program implanted 246 patients, using the latest technology and guided by decades of advanced research efforts to optimize both surgical and implant programming procedures. Professor of Otolaryngology Jill Firszt, PhD, […]

Cochlear implants turn ‘hearing back on’ for patients with single-sided deafness

photo of young woman with cochlear implant

Washington University School of Medicine experts have long been at the forefront of improving hearing for individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD). Now, with improvements in cochlear implant technology and recent FDA approvals for cochlear implants for those with single-sided deafness, Washington University’s Department of Otolaryngology is poised to treat even more patients with SSD while […]

Remote testing introduced for cochlear implants

Remote checking is now available for cochlear implants

Cochlear implant patients now have a way to improve their ability to hear without making a trip to the audiologist. Using a simple iPhone app, patients with the Cochlear Nucleus 7 Sound Processor can answer a few questions, take a photo of their implants, and share that information instantly with their audiologists who can then […]