How does a middle-ear implant work?

A middle-ear implant, or vibrating ossicular prosthesis, has internal and external components. A receiver implanted behind the ear is attached to an electromagnet (about the size of a grain of rice) that's attached to the incus bone. A one-inch external audio processor is held in place magnetically just behind the ear. The processor contains a battery, a microphone, and circuits that transmit the sound through the skin to the internal receiver. The receiver amplifies the signal and relays it to a vibrating device within the internal unit. The vibrations make the incus bone vibrate -- more so than it would otherwise, thus amplifying the volume of sound transmitted to the inner ear. Surgery to implant the device takes about an hour and a half and is done on an outpatient basis. The device can be implanted in one or both ears, depending on your needs.