Outcomes After Transcutaneous Bone-Conduction Implantation in Adults and Children

• Published in: Otology & neurotology Vol. 44; no. 4; p. 317
• Main Authors: Harris, Micah K, Kaul, Vivian F, Bergman, Maxwell, Dodson, Edward E, Ren, Yin, Adunka, Oliver F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Audiometry; Bone Conduction; Child; Hearing Aids - adverse effects; Hearing Loss - complications; Hearing Loss - surgery; Hearing Loss, Conductive - etiology; Hearing Loss, Conductive - surgery; Humans; Prostheses and Implants - adverse effects; Retrospective Studies; Speech Perception; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1537-4505
• DOI: 10.1097/MAO.0000000000003821

To evaluate clinical and audiometric outcomes of adult and pediatric patients implanted with a semi-implantable transcutaneous active bone-conduction implant. Retrospective chart review. Two tertiary referral centers. Subjects implanted with the semi-implantable transcutaneous active bone-conduction implant called BoneBridge. Implantation of the BoneBridge and audiometric evaluations. Audiometric, clinical, and surgical outcomes as well as complications. Forty-two adults and 20 children were implanted for conductive or mixed hearing loss as well as single-sided deafness. Implantation significantly improved mean air-conduction pure-tone average from 72.8 ± 22.3 to 35 ± 9 dB in adults and from 65.7 ± 24.3 to 19.6 ± 8.2 dB in children (both p < 0.001). Word recognition score improved from 63.7 ± 38.8% to 85.6 ± 10.6% in adults and 57.8 ± 38% to 89.3 ± 10.1% in children (both p < 0.05). The rate of revision surgery was 11.3%, with four patients (6.5%) undergoing removal for device-related complications, two (3.2%) for complications associated with implantation, and one (1.6%) for device failure secondary to external trauma. In a large retrospective series consisting of both pediatric and adult patients, implantation with a transcutaneous active bone-conduction implant was found to be a reliable aural rehabilitation option for a variety of hearing loss etiologies.