…LASUTH performs 38th Cochlear Implant in Nigeria
The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has continued to use cutting edge technologies to improve health care delivery to the people of Lagos and environs. Having been blessed with professionals who are versed with adequate knowledge of medical practice, LASUTH remains the fastest growing teaching hospital in Nigeria and of course the West African sub-region. The pace of growth and development of the hospital is astonishing considering the advancement the hospital is making.
One of such advancement is the state-of-the-art Cochlear Implant Surgery that LASUTH embarked on many years ago to restore and improve the ability to hear and understand speech.
Dr. Adesegun Adeyinka, Consultant Surgeon, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) speaking for the Cochlear Implant Team, LASUTH Centre, said over 5% of the world population require hearing rehabilitation to address their hearing loss. He estimated that by the year 2050, over 700 million people (one in 10 people) will have disabling hearing loss. Cochlear implantation is indicated in patients with severe to profound hearing loss after hearing aids must have failed to improve their hearing. A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve (for hearing). This implant has external and internal parts.
LASUTH, which is one of the only two centres in Nigeria where this service is being provided, performed its first set of cochlear implantations in LASUTH in 2014 and a total number of 38 patients have had successful cochlear implant in LASUTH till date with improved hearing and speech acquisition. Another total of seven patients were implanted over a two-day period between Wednesday, 6th, and Thursday, 7th of May, 2021. The implants were carried out for five males and two females with an age range of two to 26 years. Six patients had right cochlear implant while one had bilateral cochlear implant.
The Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), under the leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, with the support of Lagos State Government continues to forge ahead whilst committing to providing excellent, quality, effective and efficient healthcare services to the people of Lagos and its environs with the best available resources.
