Clinical Trial is Approved by FDA for Auditory Brainstem Implants in Children

The FDA has approved a clinical trial to implant a prosthetic hearing device (also known as the ABI) in children. The ABI will stimulate neurons directly at the human Brainstem, therefore bypassing the inner ear & auditory nerve completely. Different from a cochlear implant, the ABI can only be used on people who are deaf because their auditory nerve and cochlea are non-functioning or they cannnot benefit from hearing aids. If the patient wanted to qualify for a cochlear implant, their auditory nerve would have to had been intact.

To read more about the ABI go to this link
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122101334.htm