Chandigarh: PGI unveils auditory brainstem implant surgery for hearing loss
To train the surgeons on auditory brainstem implant surgery, PGIMER conducted the first two days of the Auditory Brainstem Implant workshop in the Asia-Pacific region
The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) is poised to introduce auditory brainstem implant (ABI) surgery, a groundbreaking treatment option for patients of hearing loss.

Three patients lined up for the surgery include a three-year-old from Himachal Pradesh, and a five and six-year-old, both from Uttar Pradesh. PGIMER had once performed the surgery in 2022 under the guidance of Dr Mohan Kameswaran but this time surgeons of ENT and neurosurgery will be performing it on their own.
To train the surgeons on ABI surgery, PGIMER conducted the first two days of the Auditory Brainstem Implant workshop in the Asia-Pacific region. Pioneer of ABI surgery in India Dr Kameswaran from Madras ENT Research Foundation, Chennai, and Dr Robert Behr from Germany, enlightened the surgeons about the surgery via cadaveric demonstration and lectures. Along with PGIMER, Delhi AIIMS, Lucknow SGPGI, and Mumbai Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital surgeons and audiologists took part in the workshop.
The implant device costs around ₹14.5 lakh. Having performed 103 ABI surgeries, Dr Kameswaran said the ABI technology is an intelligent and sophisticated implant that interacts with the brain, stimulating electrical impulses to it.
Tamil Nadu is the only state in the country bearing the cost of hearing loss surgery for children up to age six. Out of the three patients at PGIMER who are up for the surgery, Dr Ramandeep Virk from PGIMER’s ENT department said two patients have received financial aid of around ₹4-5 lakh from the state governments. Having performed nine ABI surgeries, ENT specialist Dr Ameet Kishore from Apollo Hospital said the surgery would cost around ₹17 lakh there. At present, there is no government scheme to cover the cost of ABI treatment in government hospitals, confirmed Dr Virk.
The ABI surgery is critical for children between the ages of one to three, who are born deaf. The surgery can be performed starting at the age of one and best results can be seen up to age three, said Dr Behr, a neurosurgeon in University Medicine Marburg Campus, Fulda, Germany.
Having performed 170 ABI surgeries, one of the maximum in the world, Dr Behr said, “Participants are very much interested in the field and via learning, it can be made more available. India has a huge population and all children are not diagnosed.”
How it works
The ABI surgery is performed for patients having severe to profound hearing loss and in whose case cochlear implant is not possible. Commonly for severe to profound hearing loss, cochlear implant surgery is performed that costs around ₹5 lakh at government hospitals. However, cochlear implant is not possible in those patients whose cochlear nerve is absent or damaged. In such cases, ABI device is implanted in the ear that convert sound into electrical energy and send it to the brain.
