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Looking for CI Clinic/Surgeon near Stuttgart (or Tübingen/Freiburg)

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Hi everyone,

Posting on behalf of my relative (46F) to get your recommendations for Cochlear Implant () centers and top surgeons in the southwest Germany area.

Our Situation:

Left Ear: Profound loss (due to a failed stapedectomy).

Right Ear: Severe loss.

Status: Just received a CI recommendation.

Our local doctor recommended Katharinenhospital (Klinikum Stuttgart). However, because of her previous stapedectomy history, we want to ensure we find a surgeon highly experienced with complex or altered anatomy. We are completely fine with traveling further out (e.g., Tübingen or Freiburg) for the best possible care.

Thank you in advance
Ram

5 people in this conversation5 min readJump to latest

Have you considered contacting the manufacturers Cochlear, MedEl and for help? They just might be able to guide to the right surgeon. This is how I found what I believe to be a great surgeon and audiologist.

@Dani might have information for you. @Bimodal_user might also have ideas for you.

Good luck

In reply to @Raudrive

Thank you. Could you please recommend a model so that we can contact them surgeon recommendation. From a perspective, Advanced Bionics () seems better because it syncs with her existing Phonak aid. However, I heard is better for complex anatomy due to their long electrode arrays.

Which manufacturer or model should we prioritize? We appreciate your response :folded_hands:

In reply to @durgaramesh

@durgaramesh said:

Could you please recommend a model so that we can contact them surgeon recommendation. From a bimodal perspective, Advanced Bionics (AB) seems better because it syncs with her existing Phonak aid. However, I heard MED-EL is better for complex anatomy due to their long electrode arrays.

Each and every person tends to be partial to the brand CI they have.

My opinion only. is antiquated technology, they are way behind. I am a previous phonak person and loved them. They are the brand CI I wanted but my surgeon talked me out of that brand for reliability reasons. The talking to each other you mentioned is not as important as you may think. Natural hearing does the work in the brain. When you get CI you will hear most everything and your brain will again do the work, not the processor. It takes a special Phonak hearing aid to link to the processor. Most Phonak aids will not link with their processor.

MedEl is way behind too. They just got some Bluetooth upgrades that you don’t have to carry external Bluetooth devices which is a good thing.

Cochlear is the most up on technology. Their new Nexa system is way ahead of the others. Bluetooth , is ready to go.

I believe you need to pick the brand that has the best service where you live. There will be times you need something and each brand may have better service that the others pending on your location.

Something else, all three brands will help you hear better equally. None are better than the other. Reliability, service and Bluetooth technology are the biggest differences other than Cochlear’s new Nexa system. Each brand will tout how theirs is better. Like hearing aids each brand thinks they are the best. Lots of truth stretching. My opinion at this time

In reply to @durgaramesh

@durgaramesh said:

From a bimodal perspective, Advanced Bionics (AB) seems better because it syncs with her existing Phonak aid.

Not necessarily. For syncing, there is Naida Link M (from Marvel generation) necessary, which has outdated technology regarding hearing aids - Marvel lineup was released in 2018. So please, don’t get too caught up in this “syncing” business, even though I also find it a very interesting technology. I say that having Phonak Audeo Infinio Sphere in my better ear.

@durgaramesh said:

. However, I heard MED-EL is better for complex anatomy due to their long electrode arrays.

That’s theory. In practice, there is no particular differences in outcomes.

The decision should be based on the technology’s current status, access to replacement parts, and a healthcare professional familiar with that specific brand device. For now, the most up-to-date internat device (implantable surgically) has Cochlear with Cochlear Nexa.

We still wait for newest technology from Advanced Bionics, because both external and internal part were released to the market quite some time ago. I haven’t looked into Med-El in great detail, but from what I understand, their internal devices are a bit dated.

To sum up, I agree with @Raudrive.

But it’s pretty likely your relative has conductive hearing loss, so there might not be a need for a if she doesn’t have sensorineural hearing loss.

CI isn’t for conductive hearing loss. It replaces damaged cochlea (and its function to transform sound mechanical energy to electrical), not conductive part of hearing organ.

In reply to @durgaramesh

additional: the current processor is the about 6 years old Marvel -M90 which supports only the older/lagacy Bluetooth () Protocolls. That’s good for BT-Connection with older equipment around. The announced new AB Processor perhaps will support the newer Bluetooth Protocolls and so new technology.

Have you rung , Med El and or Cochlear and asked them for recommendations in your area? The Australian Cochlear website has Surgeons clinic recommendations listed somewhere in it.

Have you organized a zoom meeting with the companies you are thinking about? Talk to them, ask questions, gotten list for costs of replacement parts? This is for your relatives lifetime so costs of replacement parts is essential knowledge, batteries die after continual use. They are not cheap.

Don’t rush your decision, Med El have just released the Sonnet 3 so that’s new technology. Cochlear have also released new technology in the Nexa implant. AB will be releasing an updated model with new technology later this year. @Bimodal_user put a thread in here about the AB new processor.

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