Dr. Brian Westerberg (Otolaryngology) and Dr. Ryojo Akagami (Neurosurgery) lead a team to perform B.C.’s first auditory brainstem implant. Cochlear implants are common these days to restore hearing to people with damage to their inner ear. However for those people with damage to their hearing nerves traditional cochlear implants or hearing aids are ineffective. In an auditory brainstem implant, surgeons implant electrodes at the brainstem and a receiver-stimulator behind the ear under the skin.
http://www.vch.ca/about-us/news/bionic-hearing-no-longer-science-fiction