A two-year-old Bosnian baby, Majra, suffering from hearing loss due to neonatal meningitis, heard her mother for the first time after being treated by Turkish doctors.
According to the report published by Demirören News Agency (DHA) Sunday, Bosnian doctors told Majra’s family that the little child will not be able to hear until she turns five and undergoes surgery.
Not losing hope, the Delic family came to Turkey for cochlear implant treatment.
The method is based on a surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device to help patients with moderate to profound sensorineural hearing loss. The cochlear implant bypasses the normal acoustic hearing process and replaces it with electric signals which directly stimulate the auditory nerve.
After the surgery at the Medipol Mega University Hospital in Istanbul’s Bağcılar district, the baby was able to hear again.
Majra’s mother, Anisa Delic told DHA that what she experienced was "unbelievable."
"For the first time in two years, Majra looked at me when I called her name. It was unbelievable. I am both excited and sentimental as a mother. I am very happy," she said.
Speaking to DHA, Dr. Muhammed Fatih Evcimik said that Majra had significant hearing loss prior to the operation.
"We determined that Majra had a hearing loss at over 80 decibels," he said, adding that the girl later had a computed tomography (CT) scan and a magnetic resonance imaging (MR) test.
"With MR and CT, we saw that the nerve was intact. If it weren’t, then the bionic ear method would be impossible. And hearing aids do not help these kids either. So it is a must to perform the bionic ear surgery without wasting time," the doctor added.
In 2017, a Syrian child whose family took refuge in Turkey was also treated with the "bionic ear" method.
According to a study, deaf children who receive cochlear implants before turning 18 months old have similar language skills to their hearing peers.
Typically fitted behind the ear, cochlear implants include a microphone and electronics that transmit a signal to electrodes in the cochlea, the auditory portion of the inner ear, stimulating the cochlear nerve.