Audiometric Results of Bilateral Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid Application in Patients With Bilateral Congenital Aural Atresia

Surgery for correction of aural atresia was performed on 156 ears in 111 patients. A comparison was made between plastic surgery for auricular reconstruction and the bone-anchored epithesis. Another comparison was performed between hearing Improvement after reconstructive surgery for meatal and middle ear atresia and the bone-anchored hearing aid. It was found that the bone-anchored epithesis is an excellent alternative to plastic reconstructive surgery of the auricle. The bone-anchored hearing aid could be considered as a strong alternative to surgery in patients with meatal and middle ear atresia – especially in patients with advanced malformations. Neither the bone-anchored epithesis nor the bone-anchored hearing aid excludes the patient from reconstructive surgery later in life.

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Contemporary Hearing Rehabilitation Options in Patients with Aural Atresia

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2014/761579 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jacky F. W. Lo ◽

Willis S. S. Tsang ◽

Joannie Y. K. Yu ◽

Osan Y. M. Ho ◽

Peter K. M. Ku ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Life ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Bone Conduction ◽

Medical Practitioner ◽

Modern Technology ◽

Hearing Rehabilitation ◽

Aural Atresia ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Congenital Aural Atresia

Congenital aural atresia is the failure of development of the external auditory canal. It usually occurs in conjunction with microtia, which is the malformation of the auricle due to a failure of development of the external ear. Aural atresia, with or without microtia, may significantly affect the hearing and social life of the patients. It is important for every medical practitioner to be aware of the possible treatment options for hearing rehabilitation in this group of patients. In the era of modern technology, new choices, including Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) (Cochlear Ltd. and Oticon Medical), Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria), and Bonebridge system (BB) (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria), provide high-end alternatives to traditional Bone Conduction Hearing Aid and Auditory Canal Reconstruction. All these options have advantages and disadvantages, and they are appropriate for different patients and/or at different ages. This paper aims to provide an overview of the management of hearing rehabilitation in congenital aural atresia patients and a discussion of each treatment option.

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SIMULATION AND MEASUREMENT OF SKULL VIBRATION WITH A BONE CONDUCTION HEARING AID

Biomedical Engineering Applications Basis and Communications ◽

10.4015/s1016237212500366 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (05) ◽

pp. 403-410

Author(s):

Yi-Rou Lin ◽

Cheng-Lun Tsai ◽

Shu-Fen Cheng ◽

Chao-Min Wu ◽

Yue-Der Lin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hearing Aid ◽

Spectral Response ◽

Bone Conduction ◽

Accurate Estimation ◽

Element Analysis ◽

Acoustic Frequency ◽

Aural Atresia ◽

Bone Conduction Hearing ◽

Congenital Aural Atresia ◽

Bone Conduction Hearing Aid

Hearing aid implant is not suitable for little children with congenital aural atresia because their skulls are still growing. Since the critical period of speech and language development is during the first three years of life, the child has to be exposed to verbal stimulation as early as possible. The purpose of this study is to develop an external bone-conduction hearing aid for a newborn child. A headband or spectacle can be used to keep the hearing aid in position. To improve the design of the hearing aid vibrator, finite element analysis was applied to analyze the structure factors that affect the performance of the vibrator. The vibrator and head were simulated as a whole system to acquire more accurate estimation of the spectral response of the bone-conduction hearing aid. The measurement on artificial mastoid shows the vibrator has a wide working range from 200 to 4000 Hz, which covers the most crucial acoustic frequency range for speech recognition. The test of bone conduction hearing aid on adult subjects shows comparative performances with a commercial device. This miniature and low-price bone conduction hearing aid will help the specific group of hearing impaired kids to begin the required early intervention therapy.

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