MERF Achieves Landmark 100th Auditory Brainstem Implant, Reinforces Leadership in Advanced Hearing Restoration
Chennai, 21 January 2026: The Madras ENT Research Foundation (MERF) has achieved a significant medical milestone by successfully completing its 100th Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI), reaffirming its position as Asia’s earliest and largest centre for this highly specialised hearing restoration procedure.
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| (L to R) Prof. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran, Managing Director and Consultant ENT Surgeon at MERF; Prof. Ranjith Rajeswaran, MD, Chief Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist at MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing; Dr.M.C.Vasudevan, Chief Neurosurgeon, VHS Hospital |
MERF performed its first Auditory Brainstem Implant in 2004 on a 13-year-old girl who had lost her hearing due to tumours affecting the auditory nerve on both sides of the brain. The Foundation went on to perform its first ABI in a child in 2009. Since then, MERF has completed over 100 ABIs, making it the largest series in Asia and one of the largest in the world. Notably, the procedure can be safely performed even in infants as young as 12 months, highlighting the centre’s advanced expertise in paediatric hearing care.
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Addressing the milestone, Prof. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran, Managing Director and Consultant ENT Surgeon at MERF, said, “Hearing loss accounts for nearly 25% of all birth defects, yet it is one of the most treatable disabilities with the right technology. Cochlear implants, a proven solution for over five decades, require an intact inner ear and auditory nerve. However, children born without these structures do not benefit from cochlear implants. For such children, the Auditory Brainstem Implant is a highly sophisticated solution. We are proud to be the first centre in Asia to have completed 100 such procedures.”
The Auditory Brainstem Implant is a bionic device designed for patients who cannot benefit from cochlear implants. Its internal electrode array is placed directly over the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem, while the external component, worn behind the ear, captures sound and transmits it to the internal device. These signals bypass the inner ear and auditory nerve, directly stimulating the hearing centre of the brain. Explaining the complexity of the procedure, Dr. M.C. Vasudevan, Chief Neurosurgeon, VHS Hospital, noted that the surgery requires exceptional precision, given the delicate anatomy of the brainstem.
In addition to this milestone, MERF is also pioneering the future of cochlear implant technology through Hearing & Structure Preservation (HSP). Partial deafness and Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD) present unique challenges, as patients often experience poor speech understanding despite normal hearing thresholds or advanced hearing aids. HSP represents a new frontier in hearing restoration for such conditions.
Prof. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran explained, “HSP involves inserting a cochlear implant while preserving the natural hearing structures within the cochlea. This allows patients to benefit from both electric (bionic) hearing and natural (biological) hearing in the same ear, known as electro-acoustic stimulation (EAS). The quality of sound and speech perception with EAS is significantly richer than with conventional cochlear implants.” He added that, for the first time in Asia, MERF successfully performed bilateral simultaneous HSP in a patient with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder.
Highlighting the patient-centric nature of this advancement, Prof. Ranjith Rajeswaran, MD, Chief Audiologist and Speech Language Pathologist at MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing, said, “Traditional cochlear implant insertion can damage delicate cochlear structures, leading to permanent loss of residual hearing. The future lies in customised, patient-specific treatment. With the HSP technique, we can preserve natural hearing and optimise outcomes, resulting in far superior performance compared to conventional cochlear implants.”
With its 100th Auditory Brainstem Implant and pioneering advances in Hearing & Structure Preservation, MERF continues to set benchmarks in advanced hearing restoration, offering hope and improved quality of life to children and adults with complex hearing disorders.
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