Children and patients with mental retardation are the most vulnerable to soft tissue reactions and implant losses. Additional and more frequent care needs to be given during outpatient consultations. Because loading as early as 3 to 5 weeks did not negatively affect skin reactions or implant survival, full BCD installation can occur earlier without risk.
The Sophono offers appealing clinical benefits of transcutaneous bone conduction hearing; however, the audiologic challenges of transcutaneous application remain, as the Sophono does not exceed percutaneous application regarding audiologic output.
Fixture loss was more frequent in children than in adults. The age of the child and the length of the fixture did not appear to influence fixture stability. Children should undergo frequent checkups at the outpatient clinic.
Bilateral percutaneous BAHAs can be applied simultaneously from the age of 4 years, after a successful trial period with the BAHA Softband or other equivalent hearing aids. Bilateral BAHAs showed clear benefit in the vast majority. Outcomes of bilateral audiologic testing are needed in the near future.
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