MEDICAL IMPLANTS are being used in every organ of the human body. Ideally, medical implants must have biomechanical properties comparable to those of autogenous tissues without any adverse effects. In each anatomic site, studies of the long-term effects of medical implants must be undertaken to determine accurately the safety and performance of the implants. Today, implant surgery has become an interdisciplinary undertaking involving a number of skilled and gifted specialists. For example, successful cochlear implants will involve audiologists, audiological physicians, speech and language therapists, otolaryngologists, nurses, neuro-otologists, teachers of the deaf, hearing therapists, cochlear implant manufacturers, and others involved with hearing-impaired and deaf individuals.