MODEL RELEASED. Cochlear implant surgery. Surgeon using a microscope during cochlear implant surgery on a 5-year-old girl. The operation lasts several hours and involves delicate microsurgery to place electrodes in the cochlea of the inner ear. The internal part of the device is placed on the skull under the skin. It consists of a receiver, to collect sounds from an external microphone, and a stimulator. The stimulator converts sound into electrical impulses sent to electrodes implanted in the cochlea. The cochlea is the organ of hearing, and the implant allows those with hearing losses to regain a sense of hearing. Photographed in the Robert Debre Hospital, Paris, France.