Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital conducts cochlear implant surgery, claims East and Central Africa first

The Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret announced Wednesday it had conducted a successful cochlear implant surgery.

The procedure, which the hospital said was its first and also the first in the East and Central African region was performed on a young lady who was diagnosed with post-lingual sensorineural hearing loss.

It took two hours.

“The team included Dr Menach Owen, an ENT/ Otolaryngologist at MTRH, and Professor Badr Eldin Mostafa from Ain Shams University, Egypt assisted by Dr Rotich Gerald, Scrub Nurses Francis Koskei and Fridah Kotut, and Audiologist Angela Kiragu. The Anesthesia Team was led by Dr Kimani Mbugua, Dr Solomon Mwau and Mr Henry Kemei,” the hospital said in a statement shared on its Twitter account.

According to MTRH, cochlear implant surgery is typically performed under general anaesthesia, and a small incision is made behind the ear to access the cochlear.

“This surgery can be performed on pre-lingual; children below three years who have not developed hearing and speech and post-lingual; older children and adults who have developed hearing and speech but lost hearing,” said the hospital.