Atyrau region is preparing a new high-tech service for children with severe hearing impairments. For the first time in the region, specialists are holding an international masterclass on cochlear implantation, a surgery that can help children perceive sounds and develop speech, reports infohub.kz.
The training is organized at the Atyrau Regional Children's Hospital. Experts are reviewing modern methods of diagnosing and surgical treatment of hearing disorders, as well as performing demonstration surgeries.
Cochlear implantation is used for severe hearing loss or complete deafness when conventional hearing aids are of little help. The system consists of external and internal parts. The implant converts sound signals into electrical impulses and transmits them directly to the auditory nerve. After surgery, the child needs long-term rehabilitation to learn to perceive and distinguish sounds.
In Atyrau region, children with hearing impairments are already being monitored. Some of them have already undergone cochlear implantation in other regions where such operations were performed, in major medical centers in Astana, Almaty, and Turkistan. After the training is completed, cochlear implantation is planned to be performed in Atyrau region by the end of 2026. This will allow residents to receive specialized medical care closer to home without having to travel far.
The masterclass is expected to help form a team of specialists in the region who will be able to perform such operations independently in the future. In June, a project to train ultrasound doctors, gynecologists, and neonatologists was launched in Atyrau region. Doctors from Europe held masterclasses on prenatal ultrasound diagnostics, ultrasound examinations of newborns, and management of complex cases in obstetrics and gynecology.
Earlier, Kursiv Health reported that complex eye and ENT surgeries, which previously required travel to Almaty, have become available in Aktau.