In early 1993, the Division of Otorhinolaryngology,
Department of Surgery of CUHK, subsidized
surgeons, speech therapists and audiologists
of the Prince of Wales Hospital to
receive training in Australia.
Our professionals also visited renowned
institutions in many parts of the
world, such as Australia, Canada and
the United Kingdom to explore the
feasibility and resources to be incurred
in developing a Cochlear Implant Programme.
In July 1996, the Cochlear Implant
Centre was officially established
at the Prince of Wales Hospital with
a patient resource centre to serve
cochlear implantees. The Programme
can be divided into three stages: |
| Stage 1: |
Pre-operative assessments
and tests |
| Stage 2: |
Surgery which takes two to three
hours |
| Stage 3: |
Post-operative training (Adults
need six months to one year, while,
children require two years.) |
|
All three stages are equally important
to the success of the Programme. As
at the fourth quarter of the year
2004, over 150 patients have received
cochlear implant surgeries in our
hospital.
|
