ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids Offer Viable Alternative to Standard Devices

by Heather Lindsey • October 1, 2007

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) provide many patients who can’t use standard hearing aids-for example, those with ear malformations or chronic infections-the potential to restore their hearing.

You Might Also Like

  • Patients Report Long-Term Benefits with Bone-Anchored Hearing Device
  • Atresiaplasty versus Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid for Congenital Aural Atresia
  • Device Offers Effective Alternative to Middle Ear Surgery, Hearing Aids
  • CROS and Baha-Which Type of Hearing Assistance Is Better?
Explore This Issue
October 2007

Patients should understand that good auditory function is possible with the BAHA, said Darius Kohan, MD, Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at New York University School of Medicine. Patients who get a BAHA are usually ecstatic, he said. They hear much better.

If the patient’s cochlear function is good, then they can have very good expectations about being able to hear with a BAHA, agreed Anders Tjellström, MD, PhD, Professor in the Implant Unit of Department of Otolaryngology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg, Sweden, and one of the original developers of the BAHA technology, first used in 1977.

One of the BAHA’s newer indications is for patients with unilateral hearing loss. While it is definitely beneficial in many patients, they should know the device won’t give them true bilateral hearing, noted John House, MD, President of the House Ear Institute.

Figure. The BAHA consists of a sound processor attached to an external abutment, which is held in place by a titanium screw implanted into the skull behind the ear.

click for large version
Figure. The BAHA consists of a sound processor attached to an external abutment, which is held in place by a titanium screw implanted into the skull behind the ear.

How BAHA Works

The BAHA is not really a hearing aid, said Dr. House. It works on a totally different principle and is meant for people who do not use or benefit from a standard hearing aid.

The BAHA consists of a sound processor attached to an external abutment, which is held in place by a titanium screw implanted into the skull behind the ear. The bone carries vibrations that bypass the external and middle ear and travel directly to the cochlear nerve.

The beauty of the device is you can’t tell the difference between whether the sound comes through the ear canal or bone, and the patient has quite natural hearing, explained Dr. Tjellström.

Who Benefits from BAHA

BAHA is used in patients with chronic ear infections that cause conductive or mixed hearing loss and for whom a hearing aid would aggravate the infection, said Dr. House.

About 70% of BAHA patients have chronic ear disease or a perforation in the eardrum, said Dr. Tjellström, adding that a conventional hearing aid may not be feasible in these patients because of drainage through the ear canal.

BAHA is also indicated for people who do not have an ear canal or who have aural atresia and cannot wear a conventional hearing aid, said Dr. House.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Otology/Neurotology, Tech Talk Issue: October 2007

You Might Also Like:

  • Patients Report Long-Term Benefits with Bone-Anchored Hearing Device
  • Atresiaplasty versus Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid for Congenital Aural Atresia
  • Device Offers Effective Alternative to Middle Ear Surgery, Hearing Aids
  • CROS and Baha-Which Type of Hearing Assistance Is Better?

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Non-Acidic Reflux Explains Lack of Response to H2 Blockers and PPIs
    • How 3D Printing Is Transforming the Pediatric Otolaryngology Field
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Why Virtual Grand Rounds May Be Here to Stay
    • Otolaryngologist Leverages His Love of Pinball into Second Business
    • These New Imaging Advances May Help to Protect Parathyroids
    • Is the Training and Cost of a Fellowship Worth It? Here’s What Otolaryngologists Say
    • Which Otologic Procedures Poses the Greatest Risk of Aerosol Generation?

Polls

Have you used 3D-printed materials in your otolaryngology practice?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.