This is a detailed resource for hearing-related healthcare professionals. It comprehensively addresses various aspects of cochlear implant care across 22 very readable chapters. Three of these chapters are new in this second edition; including single-sided deafness, auditory neuropathy, and the future of cochlear implantation.
The text is detailed without being overwhelming. The clear layout and formatting throughout certainly assist with this. There are a good many figures to complement the text, including clinical photographs, graphs, diagrams, and radiological images. Each chapter ends with a useful batch of references, including both historical milestone papers and more recent advances.
In the text there is often a brief discussion of the history relevant to that chapter. This provides a useful context to modern practice. It is also simply interesting to read for those with a bit of curiosity for the subject. Who would have known that as early as 1812 there were reports of non-implanted auditory prostheses that used teeth for bone conduction!
There is wide-ranging interest throughout for otologists, audiologists, speech and language therapists, nurse practitioners, and others. There are relevant sections on management and, unusually for the NHS, billing! There are some other aspects which are less relevant to those working in the NHS, such as discussions around FDA approvals and insurance. But these are small areas of text. One small critique might be that, despite the title, there is relatively slim coverage of ‘other implantable hearing devices’; but nevertheless, there is brief discussion of bone-conduction hearing devices, middle ear implants, and brainstem implants towards the end.
The text is, by its nature, fairly specialist. It is likely of greatest interest to those who work as part of the cochlear implant MDT. That said, for anyone seeking greater knowledge of this exciting topic, this is an excellent book to choose.
