US first for MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) compatible cochlear implant:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
MED-EL says it has become the first firm to gain US market approval for a cochlear implant with a fixed internal magnet compatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The COMBI 40+ device, the firm explains, contains a magnet that is encased in ceramic and that, therefore, does not have to removed by surgery prior to an MRI examination, as is the case with other cochlear implants that contain internal magnets. MED-EL, of Innsbruck, Austria, is to acquire the assets of hearing technology company Symphonix Devices, following the San Jose, California firm's dissolution.