Functional results after Bonebridge implantation in adults and children with conductive and mixed hearing loss

Abstract

In patients with conductive hearing loss caused by middle ear disorders or atresia of the ear canal, a Bonebridge implantation can improve hearing by providing vibratory input to the temporal bone. The expected results are improved puretone thresholds and speech recognition. In the European Union, approval of the Bonebridge implantation was recently extended to children. We evaluated the functional outcome of a Bonebridge implantation for eight adults and three children. We found significant improvement in the puretone thresholds, with improvement in the air-bone gap. Speech recognition after surgery was significantly higher than in the best-aided situation before surgery. The Bonebridge significantly improved speech recognition in noisy environments and sound localization. In situations relevant to daily life, hearing deficits were nearly completely restored with the Bonebridge implantation in both adults and children.

Hearing with One Ear: Consequences and Treatments for Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss

“…Specifically, a longer duration of deafness is associated with poorer outcomes with CIs. Developing evidence on the impact of the duration of deafness in unilaterally deafened adults suggests similar trends [75]. Of particular relevance is the provision of CIs for children with SSD.…”

A Bone Conduction Implantable Device as a Functional Treatment Option in Unilateral Microtia with Bilateral Stapes Ankylosis: A Report of Two Cases

“…In the two cases reported, the main reasons to select a Bonebridge BCI system were dependent on the anatomy of the temporal bones, which showed well pneumatized mastoid air cells, allowing for placement of the bone conduction-floating mass transducer (BC-FMT) at a safe distance (at least 2 mm) from all the relevant anatomical structures, including the middle cranial fossa, the dura, the ethmoid sinus, the Eustachian canal, and the bony wall of the external auditory canal. In accordance with the previously published literature, correct pre-operative assessment using three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction from high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is required for the optimal location for the BC-FMT [ 17 ]. However, there now exists a newly-designed surface template-assisted marker positioning device for the optimal location for the BC-FMT, but this was not used in these two cases [ 27 ].…”

“…The Bonebridge active bone conduction prosthesis, or bone conduction implant (BCI) system, (MED-EL, Innsbruck, Austria) is a transcutaneous bone conduction hearing implantable device that requires the subcutaneous placement of a receiver and stimulator, connected to a vibrating module, the bone conduction-floating mass transducer (BC-FMT), drilled into the mastoid bone and fixed to its edges by two screws. Since 2011, the Bonebridge BCI system has been implanted in patients with conductive or mixed hearing loss [ 6 , 10 – 17 ]. In congenital atresia, or microtia, the Bonebridge BCI system provides a safe surgical approach, in the presence of lateral location of the facial nerve, sclerotic mastoid air cells, and a narrow facial recess space, and has the advantage of preserving the intact skin.…”

Mastoid Dimensions in Children and Young Adults

“…This BCI uses a balanced electromagnetic separation transducer (5), promising improved power output at lower frequencies. The functional results of the novel BCI and the Bonebridge are comparable (6,7).…”