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Bone Conduction Implant
Bone Conduction Implants are also called Bone Anchored Hearing Aids
( BAHA) or osseointegrated hearing aids..
Bone conduction implants consist of surgically implanted titanium screws on the bone behind the ear which is in turn attached to an external hearing aid called the BAHA.
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The instrument stimulates vibrations in the acoustic sensory portions of the inner ear. Patients with middle ear dysfunction benefit from the use of BAHAs.
Bone conduction implants are also beneficial to patients who suffer from purely conductive hearing loss or the inability of sound waves to be conducted through the outer ear to the inner ear.
Patients with a malformation of the ear from birth also called congenital atresia and those with single sided deafness find sound hearing benefits from Bone conducted Implants. BAHAs are easier to use when the patient has at least one properly functioning inner ear.
There are two types of BAHAs. Transcutaneous BAHAs are connected indirectly to the bone through unbroken skin.
Percutaneous BAHAs have proved to be more effective as the implant is attached through the skin to the bone and the quality of sound is better when passing through skin.
BAHAs are not advised for small children as their temporal bone is not developed. The leading manufacturer of the BAHA is the Swedish Company, ‘Entefic Medical Systems’.
BAHAs help the patient hear clear and natural sound. It is a comfortable device and the patient sometimes forgets that a hearing device has been attached.
Since a BAHA is bone anchored it is reversible if the patient prefers using a new technically advanced instrument as it does not interfere with the nerve sensory system. Bone Conductive Implants are clarity assistive that work by vibrations sent through the bone.
Video on one brands implant system:
Learn More: BAHA Implant System
